Move For Health

There is a growing recognition around the world that an increasing number of today’s children are at risk of becoming overweight. Physiotherapists and dieticians know that many of these children are likely to remain overweight as adults unless they exercise and eat well.

As parents we all want our children to be happy and healthy. We aim to make our children’s lives as easy and enjoyable as possible, and ours too. This sometimes means we take short cuts. Life has been made easier by cars, computers and convenience foods. All of these can result in our children doing less exercise and eating food that is less ‘healthy’.

Getting our children to be active instills good habits for the future. Encourage your child to do at least sixty minutes of moderate intensity activity every day. Their heart rate should increase but they should still be able to carry out a conversation. These sixty minutes can be broken down into fifteen minute slots initially. Teaching children to enjoy regular physical activity means they are more likely to stick to these good habits when they grow up.

We are generally very fortunate in Botswana that our children have the opportunity to be physically active at school, but teaching them to be active at home instills good habits for the future.