Helping Kids Get Physically Fit
We know that for adults, the benefits of being physically active are myriad.
Reducing the risks of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and obesity are worthy goals we should strive for. But how often do we think of these health concerns when it comes to our kids? They’re just kids, right?
When was the last time your kids exercised for an hour every day during the week?According to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth¹ and the US Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans,² this is the recommended amount of physical activity for children and youth.
However, statistics show that a large majority (more than two-thirds) of children and adolescents don’t meet this standard. Although it’s typical that physical activity tends to decrease with age, developing an active lifestyle while young will likely influence activity levels into adulthood. For instance, if you used to run half-marathons as a teen, the idea of running a half-marathon now – as an adult – wouldn’t be as jarring as if you had never done that at all.
Studies show that there are several factors that can help increase physical activity in children. The first factor is the parents’ activity level. Simply put, active parent = active child. This is relevant for adults who don’t have their own kids, but have nephews, nieces, or kids they mentor. An adult’s level of activity can help foster the activity levels of the children they influence.
Another factor is getting children involved in a rec league or team sport. By adding these into a child’s weekly schedule, each extra hour per week of practice, games, meets, etc., adds nearly 10 minutes to the average daily physical activity for the child. They’ll never have time for exercise if it’s never scheduled to begin with. (This tactic works for adults, too, by the way.)
This much is true: being physically active while younger will affect the health of a child as they grow into an adult. So whether you have children of your own or children you are connected to, your level of activity can help contribute to building a habit of physical activity which will carry on into adulthood. Here’s to building our health, and our children’s, for the future!
Sources:
¹ "Physical Activity of Canadian Children and Youth." Statistics Canada, 2.19.2018, http://bit.ly/2EBp4Xf.
² "Physical Activity Facts." Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, 6.28.2017, http://bit.ly/2muNrvY.
When planning your budget, what’s your definition of ‘normal’ spending?
For example, how much would you spend on a meal at a restaurant before it moves into lifestyles-of-the-rich-and-famous territory? $100? $50? $20? To some, enjoying a daily made-to-order burrito might be par for the course, but to others, spending $10 every day on a tortilla, a scoop of chicken, and a dollop of guacamole might seem extravagant. Chances are, there may be some areas where you’re more in line with the average person and some areas where you’re atypical – but don’t let that worry you. Read on...
In case you were wondering, the top 3 things that Americans spend their money on in a year are housing ($18,186), transportation ($9,049), and food ($7,203).¹ The top 3 things Canadians spend their money on are in the same exact order: housing ($18,033), transportation ($11,815), and food ($8,784).²
Those top 3 expenses might very well be about the same as your top 3, but everything else after that is a mixed bag. Your lifestyle and the unique things that make you, well – you – greatly influence where you spend your money and how you should budget.
For example, let’s say the average expenditure on a pet is $600 annually, but that may lump in hamsters, guinea pigs, all the way to Siberian Huskies. As you can imagine, each could come with a very different yearly cost associated with keeping that type of pet healthy. So although the average might be $600, your actual cost could be well above $3,000 for the husky! That definitely wouldn’t be seen as ‘normal’ by any means. However, that’s okay!
What are we getting at here? It’s perfectly fine to be ‘abnormal’ in some areas of your spending. You don’t need to make your budget look exactly like other people’s budgets. What matters to them might not be the same as what matters to you.
So go ahead and buy that organic, gluten-free, grass-fed kibble for Fido – he deserves it (if he didn’t pee on the carpet while you were away, that is)! If Fido’s happiness makes you happy, then all the power to you. Just make sure that at the end of the day, Fido’s food bill won’t bust your budget.
Sources:
¹ Amoros, Raul. "How Americans spend their money." Business Insider, 9.15.2017, http://read.bi/2EGdjTG.
² "How Canadians spent their money in 2016." Statistics Canada, 12.13.2017, http://bit.ly/2HqL0pL.
Are You Going for ‘Normal’ Spending?
