I heard on the news recently that the technology in some kids’ activity trackers were not apparently working accurately.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
A kids’ activity tracker is a less complicated version of an adult one and aims to motivate and encourage children to get moving by tracking their movements. It allows for activity goals to be set with rewards.
They have become popular and some parents I have spoken to are glowing in their praise.
So, when I heard the news that some were potentially out by a few steps I thought, does it really matter?
The big picture is, in a time where childhood obesity is a huge problem, anything that gets kids moving has got to be good.
There are plenty of initiatives out there that don’t require an activity tracker.
Last Friday was National Walk Safely to School Day.
I read a press release where leading researcher Dr Natasha Schranz, of the University of South Australia, was urging parents to set an example by getting active and help turn around poor health outcomes of the nation’s children.
She is co-chair of Active Healthy Kids Australia which produces a biennial Report Card on children’s physical activity levels. Their next report is due later this year.
“The future health of our children really depends on it. Studies show that children with active parents tend to be active themselves and so it is important that parents share the role of getting the family out and about, then children respond accordingly,” Dr Schranz had said.
“There’s also the added bonus for parents of increasing their own health and fitness while being active with their children.”
The release stated figures had shown 75 per cent of children who had at least one active parent would take part in sport and physical activity outside school hours.
It also said fewer than one in five Australian children was meeting the national recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity every day, even though there had been an increase in the numbers playing sport.
“People tend to forget that a child may only be participating in sport one to three times a week with training and games, and some of this time may be spent not moving. And then there are some children who don’t engage in sport at all,” Dr Schranz said.
She said children needed daily activity to reduce the risk of health conditions such as obesity and Type II diabetes.
A lot of running events now have a kids race as well, which I love. The Winery Running Festival in the Hunter Valley offers an added bonus when you sign your child up for the Kids Marathon 2K.
When you sign up you get the option of letting your child complete the last 2km of a marathon on race day. The rest they will accumulate over an eight-week period leading up to race day, aiming to run 4 or 5km per week. There is a training program guide to follow.
The race is on July 22, so the eight-week program would essentially start today but doesn’t have to.
Upcoming Fitness Events
Free Lunchtime Tai Chi, Civic Park, May 29 at 12.30pm: Revitalising Newcastle are offering a range of free activities each month and this week it is Tai Chi. The session goes for 45 minutes in duration and is open to all.
Winery Running Festival, Hunter Valley, July 22: Featuring 42km, 21km, 10km, 6km and a kids 2km course, this event is held with beautiful rural surroundings and offers a challenge for a range of runners.
Sun-Herald City2Surf, Sydney, August 12: A tough 14-kilometre run from the centre of the city to Bondi. It was 11 weeks away yesterday and is a great winter challenge.
Autumn Workouts Week #12
This last week of autumn is devoted to the kids. Getting kids outside before and after school for some free play seems much easier in the warmer months. But there are still plenty of ways to keep them moving through winter aside from organised sport.
Here are a couple of ideas:
Set up a “Ninja” course around the yard. This might involve negotiating a few obstacles and running through some markers.
Set up a kids circuit, such as hopping, cartwheels, jumping, bear crawls, ferrying a designated amount of toys from one marker to another, skipping, juggling a soccer ball, et cetera.
Renee Valentine is a writer, qualified personal trainer and mother of three. r.valentine@fairfaxmedia.com.au.