September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

Family Health Starts Together

Healthy habits are easier to build when the whole family participates. What better time to stay active together than in September? New routines are being made now that school is back in session and daylight hours are still long, making it the perfect time to start incorporating daily physical activity into your family's routine.

Why Physical Activity Matters

Physical activity in childhood is crucially important in supporting healthy development, both physically and cognitively. Routine physical activity has been shown to improve cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, metabolic, and mental health.

• Cardiovascular Health: Daily exercise creates healthy, strong hearts and has been shown to decrease blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, and improve blood sugar levels through decreased insulin resistance.
• Muscle and Bone Health: Physical activity leads to increased muscle mass and bone density resulting in stronger bones and improved strength, endurance, and balance.
• Metabolic Health: Increasing muscle mass and decreasing fat mass leads to improved body mass index and faster metabolism.
• Cognitive and Academic Performance: Children who engage in daily physical activity have shown to have improved focus, attention, and memory, faster information processing speeds, and overall improved behavior. This also applies to children diagnosed with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder.
• Mental Health: Regular exercise has been associated with decreased rates of depression, stress, and even decreased risk of future smoking and substance use. Healthy habits established early in a child's life are also more likely to be carried into adulthood.

Physical Activity Recommendations

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have recommended guidelines for physical activity depending on different age groups. Remember to ensure adequate supervision of all physical activity.

• Preschool-aged Children (3–5 years): Active throughout the day with a target of approximately 15 minutes per hour awake (about 3 hours per day). Active play and variety of activities including interaction with other children, parks, and sports.
• Children and Adolescents (6–17 years): Minimum of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily, including more vigorous aerobic activity, muscle-strengthening, and bone-strengthening activities on at least 3 days per week. Expert supervision is recommended for more strenuous or risky activities such as weightlifting.

Family Involvement: The Key Piece

Families who exercise together grow stronger together! Parents and caregivers play a crucial role in helping children develop healthy lifestyles. Parental modeling is one of the most important ways in which children learn and develop their own habits at an early age. It has been shown that having at least one physically active parent results in more physically active children while increased parental sedentary time, social media, or TV viewing can show more sedentary behaviors. Engaging in fun activities together as a family strengthens the family bond and leads to increased trust and improved behavior.

Simple Ideas to Encourage Healthy Habits

• Take a walk as a family after dinner and talk about your day
• Visit a local park or playground
• Ride bikes or play sports together (Always wear a helmet!)
• Take swimming lessons
• Dance together at home on rainy days
• Invite children to help prepare healthy meals/snacks as a family
• Encourage active play by modeling
• Set limits for screen time (limits depend on age but on average 1-2 hours per day)

This month, challenge your family to spend time moving together! Whether it's a walk around the neighborhood or a trip to your favorite park every step builds lifelong healthy habits and even small changes make a difference!