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Live Outside The Box
Today's youth live in a very different world than the
generation before them. Our youth are growing up in
exciting times, but in order for them to realize their
potential and benefit from the opportunities of the new
millennium, we need to encourage them to be more physically
active.
Physical Inactivity is a Serious Health Issue
More than half of Alberta's children and youth (57%) are not active
enough for healthy growth and development according to the
Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute.
Between 1981 and 1996, the number of overweight Canadian
children doubled and during the same 15-year period, the
incidence of obesity has tripled in both boys and
girls.
Let's Help Our Youth Get Active!
Our youth need to make conscious decisions to be more active
in every way they can, by walking more, by spending more
time outdoors, and by taking the stairs instead of the
elevator. This message is supported by
Canada's
Physical Activity Guides for Children and Youth -
resources that encourage more daily physical activity and
less time spent on non-active pursuits. The Guides
recommend that youth build up their activity levels every
month until they are doing at least 90 minutes of activity
each day.
Tips for getting Youth Active!
- Provide them with regular opportunities to learn new
skills and have fun with activities like swimming,
soccer, hiking, skating, cycling.
- Be a positive role model by being active yourself.
- Limit the "non-active" time your child or
teen spends sitting in front of the television, playing
video games or surfing the Internet.
- Offer a wide choice of activities beyond organized
sports, for example, washing the car, walking the dog,
planting a garden, shoveling the driveway, or sweeping
the garage.
- Praise their choices of physical activities.
Building confidence is critical to success.
Let's get our
youth more active and give them the best possible
opportunity for a healthy future.
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