The American Heart Association recommends that children and adolescents participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.

These days, a lot of children stay indoors watching TV, playing games or surfing the internet.

Experts worldwide have decried the reduction in the amount of physical activity that children today take part in. One of such experts, Lee Corlett, a physical educator is lamenting that computer games, junk food and apathetic parents are inhibiting children’s development.

Lee Corlett has over 20 years’ experience as a physical trainer with the New Zealand Army.

He told a New Zealand newspaper that he has seen children cry because the grass on their school field hurts their bare feet, and children who are so obese that they can’t get up off the ground without help.

“This is what our parents are doing to some of our children. It’s tragic, it’s awful,” he said.

He decries the lack of physical skills and confidence in children today, something which he said were standard 20 years ago, before “PC gone nuts”.

“School teachers don’t have time any more, and mums and dads don’t have time any more.”

He also believes that parental apathy, and a lack of appreciation of the importance of physical activity for a child’s development, is affecting children’s attitudes toward exercise

“I’ll go to the park down the street from our house and I’ll see mum sitting there with her children. While they are playing, mum’s busy on the cellphone. There’s no interaction. It’s really sad.”

He also suggested that lazy parenting affects a child’s work ethic and added that a lot of children;

“Don’t have any perseverance. Lots of things are done by mum and dad, because it’s quicker for mum to do it than for Johnny to learn to tie up his laces.”

He implores parents to take an active role in their child’s physical development, and suggests that physical activity is good for a child.

The American Heart Association recommends:

• All children age 2 and older should participate in at least 60 minutes of enjoyable, moderate-intensity physical activities every day.
• If your child or children don’t have a full 60-minute activity break each day, try to provide at least two 30-minute periods or four 15-minute periods in which they can engage in vigorous activities appropriate to their age, gender and stage of physical and emotional development.

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