As part of their global strategy on diet, physical activity and health, the World Health Organisation launched a report last week entitled ‘Physical Activity and Young People’. In it they say that to improve cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, bone health, and cardiovascular and metabolic health biomarkers:
- Children and youth aged 5–17 should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity every day.
- Amounts of physical activity greater than 60 minutes provide additional health benefits.
- Most of the daily physical activity should be aerobic. Vigorous-intensity activities should be incorporated, including those that strengthen muscle and bone, at least 3 times per week.
- Exercise and team-based activities are also vital for young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
At Rugby School Thailand our enhanced school day finishes at 5.50pm, meaning we include sport and games-based activities as part of the daily timetable – not simply as an optional extra. The plethora of different sporting opportunities means every child has the chance to enjoy fitness, honing skills or discovering new talents, while getting active and improving their health. This is one of our many unique, forward-thinking approaches to school life and it feeds into our school ethos: the whole person, the whole point.