How much physical activity do children and young people aged 5 to 18 need to do to keep healthy?
To stay healthy or to improve health, young people need to do three types of physical activity each week: aerobic exercise and exercises to strengthen bones and muscles.
The amount of physical activity you need to do each week is determined by your age. Click on the links below for the recommendations for other age groups:
To maintain a basic level of health, children and young people aged 5 to 18 need to do:
at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day – this should range from moderate activity, such as cycling and playground activities, to vigorous activity, such as running and tennis
Many vigorous activities can help you build strong muscles and bones, including anything involving running and jumping, such as gymnastics, martial arts and football.
Children and young people should reduce the time they spend sitting watching TV, playing computer games and travelling by car when they could walk or cycle instead.
Examples of activities that require moderate effort for most young people include:
Moderate activity raises your heart rate and makes you sweat. One way to tell if you're working at a moderate level is if you can still talk, but you can't sing the words to a song.
Vigorous activity is linked to better general health, stronger bones and muscles, as well as higher levels of self-esteem.
There is good evidence vigorous activity can bring health benefits over and above that of moderate activity. A rule of thumb is that one minute of vigorous activity provides the same health benefits as two minutes of moderate activity.
There's currently no recommendation on how long a session of vigorous activity should be for this age group.
Examples of activities that require vigorous effort for most young people include:
Vigorous activity makes you breathe hard and fast. If you're working at this level, you won't be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.
Muscle strength is necessary for daily activities, and to build and maintain strong bones, regulate blood sugar and blood pressure, and help maintain a healthy weight.
For young people, muscle-strengthening activities are those that require them to lift their own body weight or work against a resistance, such as lifting a weight.
Examples of muscle-strengthening activities suitable for children include:
Examples of muscle-strengthening activities suitable for young people include:
Children and young people should take part in activities that are appropriate for their age and stage of development.
Bone-strengthening activities produce an impact on the bones that promotes bone growth and strength.
Examples of bone-strengthening activities for children include:
activities that require children to lift their body weight or work against a resistance
Examples of bone-strengthening activities for young people include:
Children and young people should take part in activities that are appropriate for their age and stage of development.