Time to play!

Need another good reason to go out and kick a ball around with the kids? Or to send them outside to run around and burn off the ice-creams? Well, here's another one...

A study, recently published in the BMJ Open Journal, assessed the activity levels of over 7000 children between May 2008 and August 2009. They found that nearly half of all seven-year-olds remain inactive for between six and seven hours every day  - far too little to remain healthy. The figures also revealed a staggering difference between boys and girls, with only 4 in 10 girls achieving the recommended hour or more per day of activity, compared with over 6 in 10 boys.

These figures are worrying - nearly a third of all children in the UK, aged between 2 and 15,  are overweight and nearly 20% are believed to obese. These overweight children are likely to continue to be overweight into adulthood, with a predicted 50% of the UK population obese by 2030, and 3 in 4 adults predicted to be suffering from weight-related illnesses e.g. diabetes and heart disease, within the next two decades. Obviously, exercise levels alone are not only responsible for maintaining a healthy weight - diet also plays a huge part.

However, it is worrying that the kids of today aren't running about and playing - surely that is what childhood is all about?! So, set a good example and head out there, drag the kids off the sofa and away from their smart-phones and playstations. Take the dog for a walk, head to the beach, throw a frisbee  - anything! It's good for the heart, and even better, good for the soul. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face as well as a spring in your step.

NB For those without children - head out there anyway - we're all just big kids after all.

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