It’s never too late to do exercise. Whether it’s walking, cycling or swimming – regular, varied physical activity is good for you no matter what your age. It’s best to start when you’re still a child, because lack of activity during your early years can affect your health and eating habits later on in life.
Playing, laughing and running around until they fall into bed exhausted: Children and adolescents have a natural urge to move, which is not just important for their bones, muscles and immune systems. Exercise also has a positive effect on a person’s ability to think and sleep, and reduces the risk of infectious diseases, chronic conditions, depression and anxiety.
On behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Sport (FOSPO) and the hepa.ch network, a set of guidelines has been developed that explains why exercise is healthy for children and adolescents, and includes exercise recommendations from birth to old age. It also discusses the factors that influence exercise patterns in Switzerland.
No stocking up on exercise
The exercise recommendations highlight the fact that body can't stock up on sport and exercise. So you can't just do lots of exercise when you’re young and then enjoy the benefits for the rest of your life. In particular, there is a negative correlation between screen time, children’s health and unhealthy eating habits.
The impact of lifestyle habits that individuals develop in early childhood, which can affect the amount and nature of exercise that they get throughout their lives, should therefore not be underestimated. SWICA exercise specialist Kimberly Zwygart confirms this as well: “It is important for children to learn to enjoy sport and exercise. This counteracts the risk of inactivity later in life, which can become more and more prevalent during adolescence.”
HEPA Schweiz: exercise recommendations
Because we tend to exercise less as we age, a booklet containing 19 ideas has also been developed to supplement the exercise recommendations. These show how anyone can easily integrate exercise into their free time in a variety of ways. The range of suggestions includes shadow boxing, competitively posting selfies in different locations, balance battles and delivering complimentary notes to friends and acquaintances.
Lots of exercise for the little ones
Three and four-year-olds, for example, should spend at least 180 minutes a day doing different kinds of exercise at varying degrees of intensity, including at least one hour of moderate to high-intensity exercise (such as cycling or playing football).
Children and adolescents between the ages of five and 17 should get an average of at least one of hour of moderate to high-intensity, endurance-based exercise (such as riding a scooter or inline skating) per day, distributed throughout the week.
They should do high-intensity activities, such as jogging or ball sports, at least three times a week to strengthen their muscles and bones.
The older you get, the less you exercise
Exercise patterns are age dependent, and don’t only decline between childhood and adolesence. There are also differences between girls and boys, those who are in sports clubs and those who aren't, school days with and without PE lessons, and between school days and weekends.
Good to know: Since young people between the ages of six and 20 often use a scooter or kickboard, this contributes quite a bit to their active mobility. This sort of activity could cover 50% of the daily recommended exercise as mentioned above for as many as half of all children and adolescents. “Those who learn to get enough exercise early in life will enjoy it for their whole lives,” confirms Kimberly Zwygart.
You can find out more about the exercise patterns of children and adolescents from the SOPHYA study.
