Family activities to move more

Being active means getting your heart rate up, feeling warmer (perhaps even breaking into a light sweat) and making your lungs work harder.

It's not just about feeling fitter and more energetic. You can also get a great sense of achievement if you decide to learn to dance or take up a new sport, and you’ll feel loads more confident too.

Many of us aren't getting the amount of activity we need to keep fit:

• children under 5 need 3 hours of activity a day
• children aged 5 to 16 need to be active for at least 60 minutes each day
• adults need to be active for at least 150 minutes each week.

Building activity into your day keeps your heart healthy, reduces your risk of serious illness and strengthens muscles and bones. It can also be a great way of reducing your stress levels and lifting your mood if you’re feeling down.

Children who maintain a healthy weight tend to be fitter, healthier, better able to learn, and more self-confident. They're also less likely to have low self-esteem and they're much less likely to have health problems in later life. There's lots you can do to help your child.

Have a 10 minute Shake Up

Any burst of 10-minute activity counts as a Shake Up and goes towards the hour of physical activity kids need a day. Check out our great Shake Up games to get them moving.

Try a new activity

It can seem hard to fit activity into a busy schedule. Working and looking after the rest of the family and the home can mean there isn’t much free time. And sometimes activity can seem expensive too - but it doesn't have to be.

Here are some fun and free activities to try:

• discover sports activities in your area on the Kent Sport website
• short 10 minute workouts on the NHS website
• walk, run or cycle at our country parks
• enjoy the countryside with walking and cycling routes on the Explore Kent website
• find a sport or active hobby on the Change4life website
• find ways to get fit for free on the NHS website.