It’s no secret that our sedentary lifestyles have negatively affected our health as a society. This includes the kids. According to the NIH, children who spend more than two hours each day on screen time have a higher risk of developing obesity, high blood pressure, and other health problems. I like to think I’m doing my small part to encourage people to get fresh air and move more. A recent podcast encouraged and revolutionized my approach to exercise and movement.
The average American Kid spends 7.5 hours each day using screens.
Dr. Peter Attia is a physician and podcaster known for his focus on longevity. I recently heard him as a guest on Dr. Jordan Peterson’s podcast. They delved into the minimum exercise that a person should implement to improve their overall health and longevity. You’ll be encouraged to know that you don’t have to become a gym bro overnight to have a significant impact on your overall wellness.
Dr. Attia has researched this topic extensively and come to the conclusion that about ninty minutes exercise each week when starting from zero had the greatest exponential health benefits. In other words, a non-exerciser who begins a 90-minute per week regime gains more profit than someone who goes from five hours a week to ten hours. The type of exercise was another important point from Dr. Attia’s research. Lest you see a dread-mill in your future, know that you should spend half the time on cardio and half lifting weights.
The doctors then discussed practical ways to implement exercise into your routines. Something as simple as taking a short walk checks the box for cardiovascular exercise. You should walk briskly enough that you can still talk if you need to but not carry on a conversation. A fifteen minute walk three times a week fulfills your forty-five minutes of cardio for the week! How encouraging is that? You can begin to see how easy it could be to implement some wildly beneficial habits into your week.
This conversation dealt with adult health. Let’s make it practical for families. The CDC says that children and adolescents should get about an hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. As with adults, you can measure the vigor by how out of breath they are. Able to speak but not wanting to have a conversation is the sweet spot for cardiovascular exercise. Luckily, for kids, this hour does not have to be formal exercise. Playing outside, riding bikes, and playing sports all contribute to the total exercise time that kids need.
The average American kid spends 7.5 hours each day using screens. We can certainly shift some of that time to outdoor activity. A family trail walk a few days a week is an excellent habit for everyone. If your kids’ pace is too slow for you to reach that slightly out of breath phase, carry a backpack with weights to increase the exertion at a slower pace.
Playing outside, riding bikes, and playing sports all contribute to the total exercise time that kids need.
I hope that you are encouraged as I was to find that a few brisk walks and a set of inexpensive dumbbells can be a monumental investment in your health and longevity. I don’t feel guilty that I only get to the gym a few days a week anymore. That’s actually really beneficial for my health. Cheers to a fun summer of family walks a couple sessions a week with weights. Good health is really within reach for most of us.
Listen to the whole episode where Dr. Attia discusses these topics in detail here.