Teaching Elementary School Health Education/Personal Health and Physical Activity/Regular Physical Activity

Physical Activity is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure. Regular Physical Activity is physical activity that is performed on most days of the week. Health Benefits People who are usually inactive can improve their health and well-being by becoming even moderately active on a regular basis. Physical activity need not be strenuous to achieve health benefits. Greater health benefits can be achieved by increasing the amount of physical activity. Guidelines for Youth Children should accumulate at least sixty minutes and up to several hours of age-appropriate physical activity on all, or most days of the week. Children should participate in several bouts of physical activity lasting fifteen minutes or more each day. Children should participate each day in a variety of age-appropriate physical activities designed to achieve optimal health, wellness, fitness, and performance benefits. Extended periods of inactivity (more than two hours) are discouraged especially during the daytime.