Children and teenagers need at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. That time spent running, jumping, walking, exercising and just being an active kid is essential for growing bodies. It strengthens muscles, builds strong bones, burns calories and instills a lifelong love of physical activity.

Getting kids moving can be more difficult than many parents care to admit. School age children and teenagers are busy – sometimes with homework and other times with less impressive endeavors, like watching TV, playing video games, texting or surfing the Web.

It’s time to make fitness and exercise a priority every day. Here are five easy and fun ways to make that happen.

1. Work in fitness throughout the day.
   Healthy kids don’t need to be active for 60 minutes at once. Find a few fun exercises and activities to do through the day. Try yoga in the morning. Go to the park in the afternoon and walk or bike around your neighborhood in the evening.
    
2. Make exercise family time.
   Exercise is a great way to spend time with your children. Learn more about their day and teach them the importance of physical activity by making it a priority for the entire family. Try to find something the whole family enjoys or let everyone take turns picking the activity for the day.
    
3. Consider the core.
   Abs of steel isn’t the goal here, but core workouts are very important for kids. A strong core helps build balance, promote gross motor skills and encourage coordination. Skip the crunches and look for fun activities like playing with a balance ball, swimming or other engaging games that develop core strength.
    
4. Mix it up (and sneak it in!)
   As much as kids love routine, they can quickly get bored doing the same things every day. Sneak in a little extra physical activity during everyday routines like chores and homework. Turn on some music to make clean up time more fun and active for kids. Or, let kids take a break during homework. Every five words spelled correctly can earn three minutes of jumping into a pile of couch cushions on the floor or another favorite physical activity.
    
5. Walk or bike to school. Walking and biking to school is a great way to get more exercise every day. Tanner Health System’s Get Healthy, Live Well, partnered with parents and administrators in the Carrollton City Schools system to make it safer for kids to walk to school. 

Regular exercise does more than just keep our bodies running smoothly. It keeps us happy and more involved in our communities. Learn more simple ways to keep kids healthy and active at GetHealthyLiveWell.org.

Tanner Healthcare for Children, a Tanner Medical Group practice, is located in Carrollton. For more information, visit TannerHealthcareForChildren.org or call 770-834-0606.