Physical Activity

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), physical activity:

• Promotes health and fitness
• Builds healthy bones and muscles
• Reduces the risk of developing obesity and risk factors for diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease
• Reduces the symptoms of anxiety and depression
• Can positively affect concentration, memory, and classroom behavior

Children and adolescents should do 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity daily.

• Aerobic Activities: Most of the 60 or more minutes per day should be either moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity. Include vigorous-intensity physical activity at least 3 days per week.
• Muscle-strengthening Activities: Include muscle-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days of the week, as part of the 60 or more minutes.
• Bone-strengthening Activities: Include bone-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days of the week, as part of the 60 or more minutes.
• Activities should be age-appropriate, fun, and offer variety.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/physicalactivity/toolkit/youth_pa_guidelines_communities.pdf

Aerobic activities are activities that keep your body moving enough to increase your heart rate and make you breathe harder. There are two intensities of aerobic activity: moderate-intensity aerobic and vigorous-intensity aerobic.

Type of Physical Activity	Age Group
	Children	Adolescents
Moderate intensity aerobic	Active recreation, such as hiking, skateboarding, rollerblading Bicycle riding Brisk walking	Active recreation, such as hiking, skateboarding, rollerblading Bicycle riding (stationary or road bike) Brisk walking Housework and yard work, such as sweeping or pushing a lawn mower Games that require catching and throwing, such as baseball and softball
Vigorous intensity aerobic	Active games involving running and chasing such as tag Bicycle riding Jumping rope Martial arts, such as karate Running Sports such as soccer, ice or field hockey, basketball, swimming, tennis Cross-country skiing	Active games involving running and chasing, such as flag football Bicycle riding Jumping rope Martial arts, such as karate Running Sports such as soccer, ice or field hockey, basketball, swimming, tennis Vigourous dancing, cross-country skiing

Muscle-strengthening activities are actitivies that make muscles do more work than usual daily life.

Type of Physical Activity	Age Group
	Children	Adolescents
Muscle strengthening	Games such as tug-of-war Modified push-ups (with knees on the floor) Resistance exercises using body weight or resistance bands Rope or tree climbing Sit-ups (curl-ups or crunches) Swinging on playground equipment/bars	Games such as tug-of-war Push-ups and pull-ups Resistance exercises with exercise bands, weight machines, hand held weights Wall Climbing Sit-ups (curl-ups or crunches)

Bone-strengthening activities are activities that produce a force on the bones that promotes bone growth and strength, such as jumping. These activities are especially important for young people because the greatest gain in bone mass occur during the years just before and during puberty.

Type of Physical Activity	Age Group
	Children	Adolescents
Bone strengthening	Games such as hopscotch Hopping, skipping, jumping Jumping rope Running Sports such as gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, tennis Swinging on playground equipment/bars	Hopping, skipping, jumping Jumping rope Running Sports such as gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, tennis