YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health Winter 2017 | Page 17

HELEN WELLS
Helen Wells is an experienced personal trainer and gym instructor at Kew
Recreation Centre. She has a keen interest in helping people find their own best
way to bring the benefits of exercise and healthy food habits into their lives.
IMPORTANCE OF
FAMILY ACTIVITY
In this age of technology, it has never been more important to get active as a family.
s parents, we all know children need to be active
and get outdoors. Whether it’s playing sports, martial
arts, or little athletics – there are many ways children
can exercise and stay healthy. a protective factor against a number of adolescent risk
behaviours. Participating in activities together enables families
to further develop caring relationships with each other. This is
important in helping children cope with difficulties in their life.
It’s not just the physical benefits of exercise that children
experience, parental involvement also builds family
connectedness and helps children continue their health and
fitness journey into their teenage years and adulthood. Today, one in four young people are dealing with mental
illness. The positive effects of physical activity, and the
connection of family, can help reduce this statistic for future
generations.
Getting active with your children isn’t just fun, it’s important.
Here’s why. Having fun together
A
Creating healthy habits
Research from the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition
at Deakin University has found that active parents have more
active children. Children learn their habits from their parents
very early in life. Finding opportunities to get outside and get
active with your kids reinforces the importance of physical
exercise. If they see you do it, they will do it themselves.
It’s estimated that only 18 per cent of high school students
get enough exercise 1 , so spending time with your children
while they’re young can help establish good habits that will
have life long benefits.
Positive mental health
Simply connecting as a family builds your child’s resilience 2 .
A sense of belonging and connectedness with family acts as
Children are more likely to exercise if it is enjoyable for them.
Finding activities and events that are fun for the whole family
can be tricky, which is why the YMCA started the YMCA
Father’s Day Fun Run which will be held on Sunday 3
September this year. From kid’s activities in the event village,
to the pram wave and so much more, the event is the perfect
day out for you and your family. And considering how
important it is to get active together, why not make this your
new Father’s Day tradition and sign up.
Family discount entries are available too, so visit
fathersdayfunrun.org.au today!
Reference
1. The National Secondary Students’ Diet and Activity Survey, 2012-13. This
survey was established by Cancer Council Australia and the National Heart
Foundation of Australia with the first data collection undertaken in 2009-10:
2. http://bit.ly/2oZpKNF
WINTER 2017 YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE
17