It is important to remember that physical activity does not only consist of organised or structured exercise. It can be much simpler and much less time consuming. It can even become part of your daily routine. For example, rather than taking the car to work or driving the kids to school, it would be much healthier to walk or cycle. Another form of simple exercise would be to take the stairs wherever escalators are available as an alternative.

It is important to monitor the activity levels of young children. A sedentary lifestyle as a child is often a good indicator of a sedentary lifestyle in adulthood. In fact, studies have shown that levels of physical activity decrease as we become older, particularly in the teenage years. Limit the time your child spends playing video games and watching TV, and provide plenty of opportunity for physical activity, which stimulates both the body and mind.

Benefits of Exercise

• Healthy Body
• Decreased risk of disease
• Look good
• The feel good factor
• Greater life expectancy
• Stronger body
• Improved social life
• Increased self-esteem

Easy Exercise

• Family walks: Provides the opportunity for the family to spend time together whilst performing physical activity. Not at all strenuous so suitable for everyone
• Visit the Local Gym: Gyms will usually have fitness instructors who can assess your current state of health, and therefore develop a fitness programme that is tailor made to suit your own needs. It is important to remember that the gym is not only for people who are fit, but is a way to get fit. The gym also provides new opportunities for socialisation
• Sports clubs: One of the problems with sports clubs is that people usually think that they are only suitable for people who are extremely talented at a particular sport. In most situations this is untrue. The majority of clubs cater for all ages and abilities and are accessible to all ages and abilities.

Nutrition
Nutrition also plays a major role in helping to maintain a fit and healthy body. Though the diet of an elite sports person may differ from the average, there are some key principles to remember.

• Try to maintain a consistent, and well balanced diet
• Avoid pigging out on junk food! Try to limit treats that are high in calories to a desert or sweet after meal times.
• Try to monitor the amount and type of food you are eating. It is often useful to look at the labels on the back of the products you are eating
• Try to limit the amount of takeaways that you eat
• Drink plenty of water
• Multi vitamin tablets can be useful if you feel you are nit gainig sufficient nutrition from your diet

  DAILY ENERGY INTAKE
  55% Carbohydrates
  30% Fat
  15% Protein
  
  ESSENTIAL VITAMINS
  Riboflavin
  Niacin
  Biotion
  Panothenic acid
  Folate
  B6, B12, C, A, D, E, K

  ESSENTIAL MINERALS
  Sodium, Chloride, Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorous, Magnesium,
  Sulphur, Iron
  

Sleep
A good nights sleep is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It is particularly important to children. Maintaining the same routine before we go to bed can help improve the quality of your sleep. It is important to maintain a regular, structured sleeping pattern. When we are sleeping our body has the opportunity to recover from injury and fatigue, both physical and mental. A good nights sleep also increases alertness, so is essential to a childs' proper education and growth.