But if you’re tempted to keep your little ones indoors – especially if the weather fails to improve as the school holidays progress – think again. According to weight management company MoreLife, six weeks of watching TV, playing computer games and eating snacks can add up to half a stone of weight gain for the average child.
MoreLife reckons that the average British child eats an additional 18,000 calories during the summer holidays – that’s the equivalent of 215 chocolate digestives. And if they don’t burn those extra calories off, it could mark the start of a behaviour pattern that will see them having weight problems, possibly for the rest of their lives, as there’s evidence that obese children have an 85 percent chance of becoming obese adults.
Paul Gately, an expert in child obesity and the founder of MoreLife, calls it the summer sofa syndrome.
“This is a serious problem that contributes significantly to childhood obesity,” he says. “There’s a nostalgic view of summer holidays consisting of climbing trees, long bike rides and adventure, but we see the consequences of the many children who simply stay indoors, turn on the TV, graze on sugar-loaded snacks and pile on the pounds.”
MoreLife runs a summer camp for kids in Bradford, where children lose an average of 13.2lb and reduce their body mass index (BMI) by up to 2.4 points during their six-week stay. But for those who can’t get to the camp, Gately has come up with a seven-day timetable to help burn off those 18,000 extra calories:
- Monday: 20 minutes jumping on a trampoline (burns 400 calories)
- Tuesday: 45 minutes of football in the garden (320 calories)
- Wednesday: 10 minutes walk to a friend’s house (35 calories)
- Thursday: 40 minutes dancing with friends (240 calories)
- Friday: 30 minutes bike ride (210 calories)
- Saturday: 40 minutes Wii fit (140 calories)
- Sunday: 20 minutes walk to feed the ducks (70 calories)
So what will you be doing with your kids this summer to make sure they stay healthy and active? Other parents would love to hear your ideas.
Meanwhile, keep up to date with the latest parenting and family health issues and take our Childhood Health Assessment, which assesses how well you’re doing in terms of encouraging your child to eat healthily as well as adopt other healthy behaviours.
