Active Kids & Active Parents

As September rushes by it can be easy to fall into a routine that doesn't leave a lot of time for activity and fitness. But there are opportunities to make sure that both parents and children face autumn in the healthiest way possible.

Active families are healthy families!With back to school season almost over, kids are getting their schedules settled, but as parents, you want to make sure that your little ones include physical activity and exercise in their day to day adventures. The good news is that recent studies have shown that the most effective way to make sure your kids are being active and developing a higher degree of physical literacy, is to be active and engaged in your own lives.

Fewer than 10% of Canadian children meet the current guideline of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day. ^Note   Canadian adults don't do much better, with only 15% of Canadian adults meeting the current guideline of 150 minutes of MVPA per week, ^Note

Thankfully studies show that when parents and caregivers are more active, the activity levels of children also rise. As we mentioned in this post,  Autumn is the perfect time of year to increase your activity or update your daily routine to reduce sedentary habits.

So add some daily exercise into your routine; you can bike, swim or jog or anything else that increases your heart rate and gets you moving. Couple this with a return to sports teams, dance classes, and other extracurriculars, both you and the kids should be meeting the recommended amount of MVPA! Canadian families can develop a schedule of regular activity that is easy to stick with and benefits the whole family.

Learn more about the correlation between parent activity and the physical literacy of their kids from Statistics Canada  here

Check out Participaction's report on the activity levels of Canadian kids here

Increased activity for kids and adults often comes with aches and pains, don't let your soreness discourage you! Stick on some SpiderTech tapes! Great for adults and kids because it's drug-free, easy to use and lasts for days. Get some here