To think this is enough exercise?

[UndertheCedartree]

I've read a few things on here recently that made me wonder if my son was getting enough exercise.

I'm not worried about his weight - he's very slim - I'm just thinking about health and fitness.

He does karate once a week (unfortunately due to circumstances we had to cut it down from 3 times a week), swimming once a week and we do a half hour jog once a week. He sometimes goes for a bike ride or has a run around at the park but this is not regular. He probably walks around half an hour to activities etc a day during the week if equalled out over the week.

Is this enough? How much exercise do your 11 year olds get?

thats enough he shouldnt need more than that.

Not enough! 30 minutes each way walk to school and back daily, walks the dog a couple of times a week, pe in school, swimming on Fridays for 30 minutes.
13 yo walks half an hour each way to school, boxing once a week for an hour, trampolining for 2 hours a week, so more aerobic exercise.

Sorry, meant my 11yo didn’t do enough! Yours sounds fine!

It's far more than I get, but for an 11 year old boy, I don't think it's quite enough, no.

DD1 who’s 8 does gymnastics 2x a week, football and tennis, plus a lot of running around in the park/garden, but she is very sporty and has bags of energy! If your DS is a healthy weight then I think the amount of exercise is fine.

It depends.
Does he walk to school?
Does he spend ages playing computer games?

I think kids are meant to have one hour a day.
Apart from PE at school, mine does very little Mon-Fri (walks to school but that’s not far). We were running together before the summer but have got out of the habit.
At the weekend we will almost always go for a walk for 2 -4 hours. Swimming once a fortnight. Horse riding once a fortnight. Cycling to swimming / riding most weeks (about 5 miles in total).

That doesn't sound enough - mine plays rugby on Sunday, rugby training weds eve, school games/PE lesson x 4, cross country tues eve and out on his bike/ walking with us in between

They need one hour a day- physical, heart beat raising activity a day. Not enough no. That said I don’t think most kids get enough. Just getting out and playing tag in the park and a solid walk to and from school should make up for shortfall.

Guidelines are 1 hour a day www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-children-and-young-people/

My ds is 10 and doesn't do enough - he hates most sport and does the bare minimum he can get away with (games at school, which is 90 minutes once a week, currently rugby) and an hour of swimming once a week (plus the odd bike ride and/or dog walk at the weekend). My other 2 dc do far more, as they do the above but also take up all the sports clubs available to them (another 2 hours each per week, plus dd also dances 2 hours a week on top of that again). I worry about it, but he is slim and a very healthy eater so I suppose it could be worse. He has shown an interest in horse riding, so we may try that.

Thanks for all the answers - and thanks for the guidelines bring me laughter.

I think he probably gets the hour a day 5 days out of 7 and probably only 2 days gets muscle/bone stregthening activity (out of reccomended 3).

But yes as he's got older he has become more sendantry and yes enjoys his console games. He is home-educated so doesn't get a walk to school but he does walk to all his activities and to be fair is probably more active during the day than the average child at school.

he’s doing enough sport, but not nearly enough regular actvivities (walking, biking, that sort of stuff). 1 hour a day is the minimum, but is really not enough, so i would try to up tve non- spot activities.

DS (9) does:

Mon - no sport
Tues - PE at school, then swim squad training
Weds - Rugby than swimming club
Thurs - morning swim squad, rugby training
Fri - running club
Sat - athletics, swimming lesson
Sunday - rugby

Invariably there are after school sports fixtures once or twice a week as well. I think your DS could definitely up his activity levels a bit.

I think they naturally get more exercise when younger and activities are cheaper. My 6 year old does dancing twice a week, swimming once at school and once with us, P.E once a week at school plus after school cheerleading. She walks 40 min a day to school plus same to dancing. She runs around at every break at school and is on scooter or bike after school with her friends on the street.

I will have a think how to incorporate more exercise for my eldest but I only have them at the weekend which makes it harder.

If he’s home educated you have 7 days a week to increase activity!
send him on a run, basketball in thd garden, bike ride, so many options
My oldrst does:
monday (lazy day): 30 min walk to/from school, 30 min football
tuesday: 30 min walk, 45 min PE (school has loads of emphasis on PE, so its proper excercise), 1 hour swimming
Wednesday: 30 min walk, 45 min dance, 30 min “active break”, 1 h judo
Thursday: 30 min walk, 30 min football
Friday: 1.5 h PE, 30 min walk, 30 min active break
Saturday: 1-2 hours walk, 30 min swimming. usually bike as well
sunday:1-2 hours walk plys Park-run. usually bike as well
1 hour exercise are lazy days.

Yura - the trouble is I only have him at weekends so I only have 2 days. We go swimming every other week on the week he hasn't swam during the week. On the week we don't go swimming we go to the park sometimes but I often have errands to do so can't always fit it in. On Sun we do a half hour jog. I'm thinking of getting him to come with me sometimes on errands so he gets a walk into town (50 min round trip) or he could cycle. It looks like lots of your children do lots of clubs but unfortunately I can't afford any more at the moment.

No reason not to swim every weekend.
Can you cycle / walk to the pool rather than drive? That’s extra activity immediately.

D's 9

Pe twice a week
Hour football club Monday
Hour netball club Tuesday
Football all lunchtime and at least an hour at after school clubchild care wed and thur
Often hike or bike ride or outdoor game cubs Friday
Hour and a half football training or match Saturday
Two hours minimum rugby Sunday

I don't worry about his activity levels I do worry about his older sister (11)

Pe twice a week
Pilates an hour once a week
Scouts often active not always
Park run Saturday
Rugby Sunday

Cheminotte - I can't afford to swim every weekend but I don't have a car so we always walk to the pool.

Notmyideamovingon - same here I'm not worried about my 6 year old - aswell as all the P.E and swimming at school and after school clubs there is all the running around at playtime and she is always out playing with her friends running, scooting or cycling at weekends.

As you noted, it's really the strengthening stuff that he's missing most importantly, so a bit of extra walking or swimming isn't going to help at all.

Of course, without the funds for clubs, or the community to do other stuff with that's going to be tough. Finding a group to do parkour with or some other higher impact sport would be a good option.