InstaTIP: 3 minutes on the fact that sport in children's life is important

1. Children aged 3 to 4 years should devote at least 180 minutes every day to various types of physical activities with any intensity. At least 60 minutes of that should be moderately hard to intense physical activity distributed throughout day. Children in school age and in puberty (6-17) should devote to moderately intense to intense physical activity every day at least 60 minutes.

2. When child doesn't have enough movement, it leads to energy imbalance. Expends less energy on physical activity, i.e. burns fewer calories than receives by food. This increases risk of developing overweight or obesity.

3. Everyone prospers from regular exercise, regardless of how old they are. In children it is mainly following:
- stronger muscles and bones,
- smaller risk of developing overweight,
- lower probability of developing type 2 diabetes,
- reduction of blood pressure and cholesterol level in blood.

4. "Fit kids" draw many health benefits from regular exercise. But besides that they have also better quality sleep, which is absolutely key during development. They handle better also physical and emotional challenges – whether it is running for bus or preparation for harder test in school.

5. Exercise leads to improvement of motor skills (for example more precise eye-hand coordination), improvement of thinking and problem solving, better attention and improvement of learning ability. It means that sport in children's life can have direct impact on their school performance.

6. Anxious children tend to focus on things causing anxiety, which in them, logically, strengthens anxiety. Thus vicious circle is created. Through physical activity anxious child can break this cycle by focusing on mastering increased bodily demands during exercise, develops new abilities, achieves feeling of success and increases their self-confidence.????