How Does a Healthy Lifestyle Affect Behaviour?

We often hear about how important it is to be healthy for our physical wellbeing. But did you know a healthy lifestyle can also affect your child’s behaviour?

You might spot a change in your child’s behaviour when they:

• Don’t get enough exercise
• Feel tired from a lack of sleep, or late nights
• Are hungry or feel thirsty

A healthy lifestyle has a significant effect on your child’s mental wellbeing, too.

Let’s look at some of the small changes you can make and the effect it can have on your child.

1: Increasing exercise

Don’t be put off by the word “exercise”. We’re talking about having fun actively. It doesn’t have to happen in formal exercise classes, unless that’s something your family enjoys. Exercise can happen in an enormous range of ways.

There are two types of exercise children need to do every week:

• Activities to get their hearts pumping faster
• Activities to strengthen their bodies

Typically, most children of all ages should try to have at least 60 minutes of moderate or intense physical activity spread out every day, so they’re not sitting down for long amounts of time. Of course, this may vary depending on the needs of your child.

There are lots of ways your child can get the exercise they need each day:

• Cycle, scoot, or walk to school
• Park further away and walk the last bit of a journey
• Walk instead of catching a bus or driving to the shops
• Play in a park or garden
• Try the NHS 10-minute shake ups with their favourite cartoon characters
• Have fun with family games of football, catch, or obstacle courses
• Try sports clubs like swimming, rugby, and multi-sports