As parents we are crunched for time trying to pack everything into a day for our children. Sometimes, we are left with the tough decision to either make time for exercise or more sleep for our kids. It seems like you don’t need to worry too much! In a new study from University of South Australia, they have found that adding exercise or adding additional sleep to your kids daily routine will lead to health benefits.
Lead researcher, UniSA’s Dr Dot Dumuid, “In this research we calculated how much sleep, sedentary time, light exercise, and moderate-to-vigorous exercise was associated with the same improvements in mental health, physical health and academic achievement.
“For families with very little available time, small increases in moderate-to-vigorous exercise could be an option to improve children’s health and wellbeing; alternatively an earlier night could equally deliver the same health benefits – importantly, it’s the flexibility that these findings offer that make them so valuable.
The Heart Foundation’s Director of Physical Activity, Adjunct Professor Trevor Shilton says “This study confirms that physical activity is the quickest and most effective way to deliver benefits for children’s physical health and mental wellbeing. But the findings also offer some flexibility for families,” Professor Shilton says.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Your kids are doing great!
