Get active this Youth Day

Getting active is a great gift you can give your kids this Youth Day.

Letting children, teens and adults spend time playing outside is a good way to improve their health and be more resilient in the face of COVID 19. So why not spend the day off from work and school in an active way?

“We know people are moving less in lockdown,” says Mari Leach, Vitality biokineticist. “This includes children and young people who might have been at school, playing sport and exercising, and moving around a lot more. It works well if the whole family gets active together,” she says.

It isn’t just about keeping the body strong

Leach says, “You often hear the saying ‘healthy mind, healthy body’. Mental wellbeing is critical right now, and it has a strong link to physical health. In fact, people with mental health issues are twice as likely to adopt unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. Mental wellbeing through movement is something we can control in this period. Maintaining good mental health is essential for young people living through this pandemic, which is historic and also highly unusual,” says Leach.

Here’s how we can move more

Do what you can at home. “There are hundreds of fitness classes online, including those for young people and families. Try to make it fun for everyone and work out together,” she says.

“If you need a break from exercising at home and want to head to the streets for your daily dose of vitamin D, you can now walk, cycle or jog outside with your family. Young athletes can use this opportunity to improve their speed through fartlek drills by sprinting from lamppost to lamppost. They can also create their own time-trial route and work on getting their time down each week,” says Leach.

Tips for moving more

Playing various games and sports exposes kids to different movement patterns and coordination, as well as helping them gain different types of fitness. You could even revert to the classics, like hopscotch, hide and seek, and stuck in the mud, she says.

Plan regular exercise, like family walks, yoga sessions or a ball game on the weekends.

Set a good example and routines

“If you want your kids to love being active, show them how you prioritise it yourself. Your presence and example will encourage them to take part in things, like ball sports and those family walks,” says Leach.

“It is important to settle into a routine and allocate a dedicated time for exercise. This way, everyone can prepare beforehand and not let life get in the way. It also helps to keep you accountable because you don’t want to let each other down.”

“Another idea is to have a fine jar. When one person in the family doesn’t join in at workout time, they have to either put money in the jar or, even better, do 20 burpees before the end of the day!” says Leach.

Be a supporter

If, for some reason, you can’t exercise with your kids, watch them and cheer them on when they do exercise. “It goes a lot further than you think,” says Leach.

Remember: If you exercise outside, you must wear a face mask. Discovery reusable fabric face masks are available to all South Africans to buy from Dis-Chem and takealot.com for R39.95 a mask.