didi rugby owner Vicky Macqueen writes…
Where children are concerned, that nature v nurture debate could rage on for ever.
But from my perspective as a mum with two boys aged 4 and 6, I know from experience that if I get them into good habits at a young age, there is more chance of them continuing those habits as they grow up.
Those good habits includes things like eating their greens, cleaning their teeth and actually weeing in the bowl, instead of on the floor! Boys eh?
But practicalities aside, I am very passionate about making sure my children get active and stay active.
Government guidelines encourage us to get our kids to do one hour of moderate intensity activity every day.
Keeping kids active
But a recent international survey of exercise among children painted a damning picture of our youngsters here in the UK.
Compared with 38 other countries, including the likes of Venezuela, England and Wales ranked joint third-last with Scotland right at the bottom.
Latest figures also claim that 20 per cent of 10 to 11-year-old in England are obese.
Keeping kids active gives them a better chance of staying away from obese levels but it will also tend to lead to fitter and healthier kids too.
That is a real driving factor behind didi rugby. My fitness kept me alive when I contracted a dangerous infection that could have killed me a few years ago. The doctors told me that my body fought the infection itself and helped to keep me alive.
I am determined to try and share the benefits of activity, health and fitness to parents and children and that is why I will remain a passionate advocate of what we do at didi rugby.
Training body and brain
I read a scientific report recently with too many long words in it for my liking. But the gist of it was quite simple. A study of 1.2 million Swedish men suggested that the more exercise they had done as kids, the more likely they were to be successful in their professional life when they grew up.
It had a positive effect on both their brains and their bone structure too.
Training your body and brain to get used to physical activity from a young age can surely only be beneficial for future fitness and health.
Old habits die hard, or so they say.
An American professor called Charles Hillman said on the subject: “Physical activity in humans is declining and looks set to get worse.
“Every chance we have to promote it is good for our health, the economy, the planet, everything really.”
Amen to that.