Mothers might not feel like they have any extra seconds in the day to exercise, but a new study finds that being a more active mom will make your young children more active too.
A study from the University of Cambridge published in the tracked 554 mothers and their four-year-olds using accelerometers. The data showed that when mothers boosted their physical activity, children’s moderate to vigorous activity increased 10 percent.
“We saw a direct, positive association between physical activity in children and their mothers鈥攖he more activity a mother did, the more activity her child did,” .
However, it is still not clear whether active moms inspired their children to be more active or if already active children were making their mothers run around after them, Hesketh cautioned.
Efforts to promote physical activity should include both mothers and children, . Instead of driving to the park, parents and children should walk, Slujis recommends, and substituting a board game with a game of tag can pay big dividends in children’s fitness over a month or a year.
Want to get your family more active and raise children who rip? Check out 国产吃瓜黑料‘s 2014 Active Family Guide.