Who are all these children that exercise for 60 minutes a day?

[Notcontent]

I was reading an article today that there has been a decline in the number of children and teens who exercise for the recommended 60 minutes per day - no surprise there! But what was surprising is that research from Sports England shows that normally over 50 per cent of children do get 60 min of exercise per day, and even now, during the pandemic, it’s still over 50 per cent.

I was quite surprised by that research. It made me think that lots of people must be overestimating how much exercise their children get. In normal times, yes, I guess lots of primary school kids run around in the playground and walk to school, but now?

My dd is 14 and among her friends there is only one that actively exercises. All the other ones might go for a short walk if that. Even my dd who is really sporty is not getting 60 min daily at the moment. She spends all day doing school work and then homework in her room. She does go for a run most days but that’s only 30 min and she is literally sitting around for the rest of the time.

DS is 8 and he does Joe Wicks or a walk everyday, I know it's not quite enough but when the weather is nicer he spends loads of time playing in the garden or in the park with friends.

Foster son very sporty, before Covid 2-3 hours a day. Now does at least an hour a day. Running around lake, sit ups, press ups, weights and 1 hour twice a week at school. After lockdown he will be back to karate and swim squad training 2-3 hours a week and cricket training 6 hours a week.Hopehully he will get match play time from Easter.

I meant to add he does this instead of hours on X box.

Surely, walking counts? A friend of mine takes her kids across the fields to get into town - about five miles altogether. But they're definitely walking!

@SillyOldMummy

Both my kids have gone from being extremely active to extremely inactive due to lockdown. It is such a shame. My DD loves sports of all kinds - she used to do yoga class, gym, bouldering club, cross country, walk to and from school (40 mins, usually via park for 30 mins on the way home), weekly swim, cycling, tae kwondo. Now, she is just addicted to being indoors. She refuses to do online PE and most days we don't get out for a walk as the timing clashes vs online classes with her teacher and my toddler's nap schedule.

I've seen her fitness plummet. A little hour long walk round the park - that's not enough. It is a tragedy, what we have done to our poor children..

Totally agree with this

And the headlines today are that the gov wants to take charge of the Nhs and reduce obesity! Unlock our kids from their houses might be a start

I think I heard once schools open outdoor sport and outdoor markets would be opened next. Outdoor football could be back for kids in March and the cricket season starts in April. DS can't wait to get sports back.

Clearly my DD (11) is lazy compared to the majority of posters kids, as she doesn't exercise for an hour a day every day. She does gymnastics twice per week, for an hour each time, PE twice per week and that's it. Her walk to school is about 1/2 there and back. Going for a walk is just not something she's interested in at all.

@shitinmyhandsandclap

To the parents of kids being schooled at home, do they not get a lunch break where they could go out (obvs if they wanted to) when it's not dark?

DD13 gets only half an hour for lunch, so not long enough to go out. Not that she would anyway.

DD10 finishes her school online classes at 12.30, but she obviously can’t go out on her own & I’m usually back working by then, after my own lunch.

My two barely leave the house Monday to Friday. They might go with DH when he walks the dogs on the evening, but that’s very rare.
We encourage them out for a walk on a Saturday & Sunday, but not today as the weather was so horrible. I didn’t want to go, so I certainly wasn’t going to force them to go!

I do enjoy exercise (went running in the rain this morning), but both my girls are lazy, just cba.

We’ll try again tomorrow.

@Whodofthunk Glad it's not just me anyway. It is so hard for them and us at the moment. Good luck!

Yep my child is doing a lot more than that - has some indoor equipment which gets used on and off throughout the day and we almost always go walking for a couple of hrs at the moment. Doing a lot more than when school was on.

My kids aren't sporty by any stretch.

However, for the younger one it's non-negotiable (and she likes Joe Wicks and Cosmic Yoga), and for my teen I've appealed to his vanity. Really laid it on thick, & helped him find videos by huge, muscly men.

(We've chatted about steroids & tiny testicles too, just to be on the safe side. He loved that mum chat).

My dc have to come on regular walks. They wanted a dog, so they have to join in with walking him! Besides, it's literally the only exercise they get at the moment.

I think with younger kids it’s easier. DS goes out for a walk with the dog walker most days (she is a good friend and takes him so we can get work done). Then he’s always having “discos” which means he dances for ages, and he runs about the house.

Outside of lockdown he is playing at lunchtime, goes to a few classes, and is always on the go

16 yo - at least 60 mins per day unless he has a scheduled rest day but he is very committed to his sport & still training with his team twice a week as it is "elite" Level. ( on site Covid tests etc).

14 yo - basically nothing unless there is a sports lesson scheduled for online school when they might go out for a walk or do some stretching. So essentially doing bugger all!!

9 yo - we are trying to make sure he at least does a 60 mins walk and or a bit of running in the park but there's much less (what I would class as) proper exercise / running around as he's not at school & all his sports activities at the weekends are obviously cancelled.

Normally, my teens have a 5 minute walk to the school bus, walking around school between lessons, loitering outside at lunchtime, and 2 hours of PE a week in which they do as little as they can get away with.

In lockdown they’re both going for a 30 minute walk around the fields, most days.

Ds2 is diabetic and wears a glucose monitor and insulin pump, from which I can see that his insulin sensitivity has gone right down during lockdown, which is the result of doing less exercise.

I’m slightly surprised that walking around school between lessons is more exercise than a 30-minute march around the fields. Who knew?