How much physical activity should children and young people aged 5 to 18 do to keep healthy?
Children and young people need to do 2 types of physical activity each week:
aerobic exerciseexercises to strengthen their muscles and bonesChildren and young people aged 5 to 18 should:
aim for an average of at least 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous intensity physical activity a day across the weektake part in a variety of types and intensities of physical activity across the week to develop movement skills, muscles and bonesreduce the time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity. Aim to spread activity throughout the dayChildren and young people aged 5 to 18 who are living with a disability should:
aim to do 20 minutes of physical activity a day, splitting this into smaller chunks of activity throughout the day if neededdo challenging but manageable strength and balance activities 3 times a weekWhat counts as moderate activity?
Moderate intensity activities will raise your heart rate, and make you breathe faster and feel warmer.
One way to tell if you're working at a moderate intensity level is if you can still talk, but not sing.
Children and young people should do a range of different activities across the week.
Examples include:
walking to school or walking the dogplayground activities, including jumping, running and catchingphysical educationsports, like football or tennisswimmingskippingdancingskateboarding or rollerbladingcyclingWhat activities strengthen muscles and bones?
Examples include:
gymnasticsfootballjumpingmartial artssit-ups, press-ups and other similar exercises (for young people)resistance exercises with exercise bands, weight machines or handheld weights (for young people)Exercising safely
Children and young people should:
get medical advice about exercising if they have a health conditiondo exercise that is suitable for their age, ability and experiencestart any new exercise slowly and increase it bit by bituse protective equipment, for example for cycling and skateboardingYoung people can use weights for resistance exercise if a qualified adult trains them to use weights correctly and supervises them.
Physical activity recommendation for other age groups:
Physical activity guidelines for children under 5 yearsPhysical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64Physical activity guidelines for older adults (aged 65 and over)GOV.UK has infographics on physical activity for children and young people
