How much physical activity do children need?

To be honest, I never really thought about this question before. I’ve always felt children should play outside as often as they can with family and friends, and this is their exercise. So I was very surprised to discover that for the first time in 2008, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention created a Physical Activity Guideline for Americans.

What a shame that we even need this. We’re so wrapped up in TV, computers, cell phones and video games that we need the government to give us a rulebook to get our bodies moving.

But I’m also surprised by what they recommend: 60 minutes of exercise each day for children and adolescents.

Only 60 minutes? Did I read that wrong?

60 minutes is nothing during spring, summer and fall. Even during the winter kids can snowboard or ski for hours at a time. When I was growing up, we played games like “kick the can” or “ghosts in the graveyard” for hours, stopping only after the street lamps came on.

And what about that word “need?” Are we talking only physically? If children stop running around in the backyard after 60 minutes, will we limit their opportunity to develop skills like negotiation or creativity that are so important to have in life? I wonder what the Center for Disease Control and Prevention would say about that…

— MB