Citing Obesity Epidemic, British Gov. Says Babies Should Workout, Too
- Posted on July 11, 2011 at 4:47pm by
Billy Hallowell
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LONDON (The Blaze/AP) — In a new campaign against obesity, the British government issued guidelines on Monday saying that children under the age of 5 – including those who can’t even walk yet – should exercise every day.
In its first such guidelines for children that young, the health department said kids under 5 who can walk should be physically active for at least three hours a day. Officials also said parents should reduce the amount of time such kids spend being sedentary while watching television or being strapped in a stroller.
The three hours of activity should be spread throughout the day. Officials said the children’s daily dose of exercise is likely to be met simply through playing but could also include activities such as walking to school. But, some are questioning how effective recommending a set amount of workout time truly is. Express.co.uk reports:
…Dr David Haslam, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, questioned how effective the guidance would be.
He said: “I’m not sure this will make much difference and I’m not sure laying down an exact number of hours will do much good.”
For babies who can’t walk yet, the government said physical activity should be encouraged from birth, including infants playing on their stomachs or having swimming sessions with their parents. The government said children’s individual physical and mental abilities should be considered when interpreting the advice.
“It’s vital that parents introduce children to fun and physically active pastimes to help prevent them becoming obese children, who are likely to become obese adults at risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers,” Maura Gillespie, head of policy and advocacy at the British Heart Foundation, said in a statement.
Nearly a quarter of British adults are obese, and experts estimate that by 2050 about 90 percent of adults will be heavy.
According to a 2008 health survey that used devices to measure how much people actually exercised, officials found only about five percent of Britons meet the government’s minimum physical activity advice – about 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise every week, including some every day.
For children aged 5 to 18, Britain recommends at least one hour of exercise, but that should include intensive activities to strengthen muscles and bones.
In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises children and teenagers to get about one hour or more of physical activity every day.
According to the Institute of Medicine, an independent organization in Washington, D.C., toddlers should get at least 15 minutes of exercise for every hour they spend in child care.
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Comments (55)
Concerned Green Beret
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 4:51amI can’t wait for this program to come to America. Americans will love this, because it is so sheik. After all it is from Europe. We just love things from Europe.
Report Post »old white guy
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 1:52pmholy sh-t, my two grands sons five and two years of age could wearout any exercise freak and leave them gasping for air. they seem to be quite normal for kids where i live.
Report Post »Oak
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 8:10pmCheck out http://www.proxyparenting.com for more fun.
Report Post »aae
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 3:23amthey want the babys to work out so thay wont have to work freken wanta be slave oweners libs just want free stuff and be able to tell people how to live there life but dont call them on it
Report Post »DallyWama
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 3:11amEdit:moms
Report Post »obama-mecca-me-sick
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 9:13amOnly a matter of time before the government declares the parents aren’t listening to them , thus putting their own childrens health in peril. The children will have to be protected form their own parents and the government will seize them under some kind of “responsibility to protect” act and place them in facilities where they will be given proper food and education (indoctrination). The Government will decide what talents your child has and how they can best be used for the good of the country. Should he be an Olympic ahelete, an engineer, doctor or accountant? Sounds like communist China.
Report Post »ConstitutionFreedomLover
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 11:36pmObama – Mecca – Me – Sick… You hit the nail on the head!!! ;) Those sick sons of guns.
Report Post »DallyWama
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 3:11amGovtards
Because mom’s never have to chase babies around the house.
Report Post »kindling
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 1:57amI don’t know why they are distracting us with this over weight stuff. If Obama and his puppet masters get their One World Government way we will all be loosing a bunch of weight. I say pack it on now while we have access to it and take it with us. In the long run it will be those of us with a bit of extra that will survive the coming world wide food shortage .
Report Post »ezeewhiz
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 1:33amQuick fix yawl!! Goverment law….1200 calorie diet for all!!! Anyone wanna vote?
Report Post »Eyeball
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 1:26amI hope this liberal nonsense stays on their side of the Atlantic.
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 4:59amMO will jump on this one…….
Report Post »abbygirl1994
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 1:12amWhat do these idiots think 5 year olds do.. I couldn’t keep up with mine at 5?? These people are brain damaged??
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 5:57amIn my youth (and I’m only 47), we were never inside. I rode my bike, ran over to the neighbor’s house, etc. Are we already using the TV as a baby sitter at the age of 5? Of course, in my day, we only had cartoons on Saturday morning, no cartoon network, or Disney channel.
Report Post »Southernguy
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 8:07am@ LORIANN12……………….Ah, the good old days, lol. I wore my Schwinn bike slam out the first two years I had it ;)
Report Post »FUTURE DISIDENT
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 12:47amHmmmmmm….Now there is an idea…..anyone ever try to stop a 5 year old from being active????
Also…anyone see about the Mississippi school that is being sued for putting kids in handcuffs and shackles???????…for talking to loud in the hallways…..
Report Post »Southernguy
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 8:09amThat‘s where I’m from, and they are goin’ about it the wrong way. They should be putting a muzzle on them. You should hear how these kids talk. Especially the ones of darker descent ;)
Report Post »TH30PH1LUS
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 12:26amYep, this is why we STOPPED being Royal subjects.
You let the crown take away your dignity. Sad.
Report Post »frustratedwithgovt
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 11:53pmI’ll tell you what. As soon as the Gov‘t stops gorging itself on debt I’ll lay off the Big Macs.
Report Post »spikebu
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 12:44amCan somebody show me a toddler who is NATURALLY inert? A five year old? Three hours of activity? Are they drugging these kids? My kids took 2 hour NAPS! Every other second they were awake was frenetic energy. They played, occasionally got hurt, and lived to be non- obese individuals. The young parents today can’t seem to allow their precious children to experience the world in the natural way of a child. They have to sterilize it. Not much of a leap for me to believe these young people handing over their precious children to the government because they can “do a better job”. What’s happened to common sense?
Report Post »rightwinglefty
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 10:00pmRemember Todd Marinovich.
Report Post »The Gooch
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 9:53pmHmmm… Who is modeling this behavior? Mum and Da, get off your fat arses, also! I’m gonna go walk my dogs and then bench press 200% of my body weight. Later, fatties!
Report Post »GadsdenPatriot
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 8:35pmSounds like their healthcare can’t afford any more weight related issues for youngsters. Socialism always fails, the question is, when?
Report Post »Dougral Supports Israel
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 7:56pm“Nearly a quarter of British adults are obese, and experts estimate that by 2050 about 90 percent of adults will be heavy.” That’s assuming that trends continue without some other factor intervening and mitigating the result. Using the government’s own logic I would predict that by 2050 most Western governments will have collapsed into a financial black hole and will become meaningless. Given their current course I believe I am more likely to be correct than they are.
Report Post »welovetheUSA
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 7:21pmBrits need to find a better way to look at their own government problems and stay out of their peoples business, period.
Report Post »Sound The Trumpet In Zion
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 6:00pmI’m guessing that we should get all of our children together, send them on an airplane so that they can get groped and molested by the TSA and when they arrive at the Marine Corps Training Station they can go through the entire Marine Corps training schedule so that they can get down to the weight that the Nanny State says it is okay for them to be at.
Report Post »OR WE COULD
Force the government to stop allowing these food companies to stop putting in all these chemicals and whatever else they put in the processed foods (our bodies are designed to eat real food not every kind of chemical known to man) that are designed to make kids fat and for the parents (if they have any) to stop feeding them every kind of junk food known to man just to keep them busy eating and eating so that the kids won’t be in their hair so that they can sit around doing their drugs and whatever else they do.
HMMM, that IS an novel idea: Parents start being real parents and the government quit trying to have the processed food companies attempting to kill off our kids. “death by obesity”, is this the motto of the government and the processed food companies.
let us prey
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 5:34pmThe Brits should worry about the growing mooselimb population and the fact they are being taken over.
Report Post »Susie
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 12:31amlol
Report Post »Stronge
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 1:03amOf course this isn’t actually true.
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on July 12, 2011 at 3:22am@ strong
you need to get out more
Report Post »tmkphx1962
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 5:25pmIf you want to reduce childhood obesity parents need to say no to McDonalds and the video games.
Report Post »Berbel73
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 5:18pmSome where Kathleen Sebelius and Cass Sunstein are grinning from ear to ear.
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 5:16pmOf course babies should be exercising. Who needs the Government or even a Doctor to tell you that?
Report Post »Parents who do not know this should be sterilized…. We should not have to worry about people who may also be stupid to know their kids need fed, diapered, clothed in Winter and other basics of child rearing (For you libs out there- don’t get excited – it’s not that kind of rearing you grew up on)
psst
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 5:16pmI don’t see too many fat Moslems.
Report Post »Just have a li’l more patience Brit guvmint. Everything will “work out” just fine.
Your citizenry will sooon be all slimmed down. and dressed in Turbans and Burkas.
SpankDaMonkey
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 5:09pm.
Report Post »They elected Obama too?………….
I.Gaspar
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 4:53pmThis is where we are going, people.
Report Post »Maybe we’re there already.
WE MUST get them out of power.
Nov 2012 cannot come too soon!
SREGN
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 4:49pmAnd governments always know what’s best.
Report Post »JRook
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 4:58pmAnd in the US we have schools increasingly eliminating physical education classes due to budget cuts.
Report Post »cessna152
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 5:00pmThe more people rely on government to “think, tell and force” them what to do, people will become more and more complacent. Individual “mandate”… let each person pay their OWN consequences. Government, get out, we are not stupid!
Report Post »cheezwhiz
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 5:04pmAnd in the US we have schools increasingly eliminating physical education classes due to budget cuts.
Report Post »———–
Yet they have plenty of money to teach global warming propaganda and the life and times of Che
psst
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 5:07pmJRook said:And in the US we have schools increasingly eliminating physical education classes due to budget cuts.
Report Post »—–
Um, today, kids can’te even add ,read and write.why worry about Phys Ed?
It does not take $$ for kids to run and jump or do pushups and situps. No one needs all kinds of expensive equiptments to get physically fit.
JRook
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 5:36pm@psst Agree, but don’t remember mentioning need for equipment. Most schools seem to find plenty of money for the organized sport teams. So I think a couple of phys. ed teachers leading kids in some exercises and jogging may be of some utility. I also agree with cheezwhiz that we also seem to find money for the teaching of some useless information, but science is useful and should not be in anyway limited by beliefs in either direction. Science should be taught as science based on strict observation and scientifically derived results.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 5:40pmPerhaps if they would LOCK UP the perverts and drug dealers, etc .. the kids could go out and play .. how about the problem IS THE GOVERNMENT!
Report Post »fastfacts
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 5:59pmThat is one cute baby in this article.
Did you see moose the baby that was born over 16 pounds. That is one heavy baby. He will probably need a whole lot of exercise.
Something that isn’t cute, somewhat scary, is the robot baby that scientists are creating. It is freaky to watch the face movements. See it here: http://tiny.cc/klxf7
Report Post »Patrick in AZ
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 6:33pmMaybe they can create a government run camp for the kids, where they can learn about healthy living & exercising; maybe they could call it something cool like, oh, I don’t know, maybe the Hitler Youth
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