Benefits of Physical Activity
The benefits of physical activity and being more active are:
Happy active kids!
- Builds healthy stronger bones, muscles and joints
- Lower blood pressure
- Lower cholesterol
- Maintains weight
- Increases fitness
- Improves confidence and self esteem
- Improves mood
- Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety
- Reduces risk of stroke
- Lower risk of colon and breast cancer
- Fewer falls
Physical activity Recommendations
Children: Children need at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity every day.
Adults: All Adults (age 18+) need at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most or all days of the week.
*Moderate intensity is a level of activity that noticeably increases your heart rate and breathing rate. You may sweat, but you are still able to carry on a conversation. A simple way to remember this is that you can talk at a comfortable pace, but you can’t sing!
**Note that the minutes can be broken down to bouts of 10 minutes such as 3 x 10 minutes.
Children out about on bikes in Mullingar
Downloads
- National Guidelines On Physical Activity (6 MB | PDF)
