This article is focussing on the fact that Canadian children are getting a very poor report card when it comes to physical activity. Information from ParticipAction confirms that Canadian children are getting some of the lowest marks in the world. In Canada, our children are getting a D- in physical activity. There is a comparison between Canada and other countries around the world, including Slovenia. In Slovenia, 86 per cent of boys and 76 per cent of girls are getting the required 60 minutes of heart pumping physical activity that they need each day. Whereas in Canada, only 9% of children age five to nine get the 60 minutes of activity a day. It is more common for the more developed countries to be lower in marks when it comes to the physical activity requirements. Some of the more developed countries that are getting low marks in physical activity include: Australia, England, Spain and the United States. Dr. Mark Tremblay states that Canadian children have no reason not to be physically active but the real issue is simply that they choose not to be active. It is evident that inactivity is the product of too much screen time and it affecting the physical health of Canadian children. It is noticed that there are other countries that are getting worse marks that Canada, including Belgium, Chile, China, Qatar and Scotland, those of which are getting an F. Although Canada is getting a D- in physical activity and an F for sedentary behaviour, they are doing very well in other areas, including an A- for community and environment and Bs for organized sports and school.
I completely agree with Dr. Tremblay in the sense that there is a huge fault with screens because they take so much time out of other more important things you could be doing. They contribute to the problems that adolescents are having with sleep. Being on your phones or watching Netflix and then going to bed leads to problems because your brain has just been stimulated and won’t want to rest. However, if you have 60 minutes or more of heart pumping physical activity then you are more likely to have a good sleep because you’re tired from actually doing something. This article really conveys how poorly Canadians have been doing in physical activity and its been consistent for the past four years which is concerning.
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