Exercise
Move every day. All movement counts, including walking or cycling to school. Three times a week: something that makes you out of breath and strengthens your muscles.
The page in brief
- Children and young people need to move every day, on average at least 60 minutes.
- All movement that raises your heart rate a little counts, for example walking or cycling to school.
- It does not have to be training, and the minutes do not have to come all at once.
- Three times a week, it is good to do something that makes you out of breath and strengthens your muscles.
- Get up and move about when you have been sitting for a long time.
- Exercise helps us sleep better, think more clearly and handle stress.
Why is exercise so important?
Exercise is a basic need for both body and mind. It helps us focus, sleep better and handle stress. It does not have to mean sports kit and a gym. Most of the movement can happen in everyday life: walking or cycling to school, playing, dancing or taking the stairs.
The body also does well from working harder now and then. Running, jumping, climbing or playing ball games a few times a week strengthens the heart, muscles and bones.
How much movement is needed
60min
of movement a day on average for children and young people aged 6–17, the kind that makes you breathe faster and raises your heart rate
Note: it does not have to be 60 minutes in one go, and all movement that raises your heart rate counts, including walking or cycling.
Every day
Be active regularly, on weekdays and at weekends. All movement counts.
Break up sitting still
Get up and move about for a while when you have been sitting for a long time, ideally for a few minutes every half hour.
Three days a week
Something that makes you properly out of breath and strengthens muscles and bones, for example running, jumping, climbing, ball games or a PE lesson.
Children aged 1–5
Let your child move in different ways several times a day, with play and time outdoors. Break up long spells in a pushchair or high chair.
Benefits of exercise
Better brain function
Exercise can create new nerve cells and improve memory. It strengthens the brain’s ability to learn and makes it easier to focus and solve problems.
Better sleep
Physical activity makes it easier to fall asleep and gives deeper sleep. It helps the body relax and reduces the worries that can otherwise disturb your night’s sleep.
More resilience to stress
Regular training helps us handle everyday challenges better. It makes us more resilient to stress and improves our focus.
Physical health
Exercise strengthens the body, balances hormones and prevents illness. It also lifts your mood and increases your wellbeing.
What works?
- Cycle or walk instead of taking the bus
- Take the stairs instead of the lift
- Get up and move about for a while when you have been sitting for a long time
- Take part in a sport or other physical activity you enjoy
- Dance in the living room
- Do parkour on the way home
- Make movement a routine
- Before you shower: do jumping jacks, high knees or squats until you break a sweat
Talk with your child
Open questions make it easier to talk about everyday life without it turning into an interrogation.
“Is there a kind of movement you prefer or that makes you happy?”
“How do you stay active in an ordinary week? Tell me about when you move, for example getting around, walking or training.”
Show that you are curious, ask open questions and listen to understand. Sum up what you have heard and ask if you have understood correctly. Focus on balance, not on what is wrong.
The questions come from Det syns inte’s conversation material “Må bra samtal” (feel-good conversations).
Want to work with this at school?
Det syns inte is a school programme about mental health, the brain and life with screens. It is built on drama films and research, and is used by teachers, mentors and school health teams together with the students. The programme’s website is in Swedish.