Rethinking Lifestyle

The title above is the bottom line of a 2018 Participaction report card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. The report is fascinating and brimming with basic common sense. (Why do we so easily abandon common sense in the overwhelming presence so many electronic devises?) All parents, teachers and teens would do well to access this report card and read at least the highlights.

The children went back to school this week. This means that households with children are establishing new routines. Here are some thoughts to consider as these routines are established.

In the above referenced report card, reports that only 35% of 5-to-17-year-olds in Canada meet the physical activity recommendation within the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth. We also scored a D- for active transportation. Based on parent-and self-report data on 5-to19-year-olds in Canada, 21% typically use active modes of transportation (e.g., walk, bike), 63% use inactive modes (e.g., car, bus) and 16% use a combination of active and inactive modes of transportation to travel to and from school. Manitoba’s Green Action Centre has prepared a report “Making Children Count”. They found that only 1 in 3 students walk/wheel to school in Manitoba.

Of course how children get to school is not the only determinant of how much physical activity they get, but it is a significant factor Choosing inactive transportation contributes to higher rates of inactivity, body weight and mental health concerns, diabetes, etc.

There is an abundance of research that demonstrates the many benefits of physical activity for children, including improved heart health, maintaining a healthy body weight, building strong bones and muscles, improved sleep, etc. There is a growing body of evidence that indicates that physical activity in childhood is essential for a healthy brain and leads to improved thinking and learning, emotional regulation and self-control, problem-solving ability, memory, brain plasticity (growth of new brain tissue), stress management, ability to cope with anxiety, depressive symptoms, self-esteem and self-worth, and attention and focus. Learn more by reading the full report.

Almost 29% of Manitoba children are obese or at risk of obesity. 60% to 90% obese adolescents remain obese into adulthood, largely because habits learned in adolescence tend to carry over into adulthood. Simply shifting from a car ride to school to walking or biking to school will not alone solve the obesity problem, but such activity reflects a lifestyle attitude that, when applied to other activity and dietary choices will without a doubt result in better health.

Manitoba’s Green Action Centre suggest that beginning the day with Active School Travel tends to result in increases in physical activity throughout the day. It tends to increase the readiness to learn and can lead to higher school grades. It increases exposure to sunlight, which in turn helps regulate sleep patterns. We all know that the cars bringing children to school result in traffic congestion at the school as well as air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The greatest source of injury to children going to school are encounters with cars bringing other children to school. And parents and children who walk or bike to school contribute to neighbourhood safety, social connectivity, and sense of community. How about organizing a walking school bus with other parents in your community.