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Mandatory workout for Aussie kids
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ASIANAGE on 06 July, 2008 01:54:46
 
Melbourne, July 6: Preschoolers in Australia will now be undergoing two hours of
compulsory exercise regimes.
The New South Wales government’s anti-obesity program has decided to phase
out junk food from kids’ diet and recommends drinking watered down juices and
low-fat milk. Furthermore, parents will be receiving a list of recommended foods
for their children’s lunchboxes. Star jumps, action-singing songs as well as
catching, jumping and running are just some of the exercises included in the
roll call of daily activities. The new healthy lifestyle policy would be
executed in nearly 1000 preschools within the next one and a half year.
Childhood teachers in 14 centres would also be given initial training this
week.
"We do music and movement every day but this program also encourages us to do
more structured exercise outside where we are teaching children the finer points
in jumping, running, hopping, galloping and fundamental movement skills,"
news.com.au quoted educator Vicky Smith from Five Dock preschool, which is
implementing the program, as saying.
NSW Centre for Health Advancement director Liz Develin said recent research has
shown that 89 per cent of children aged four to five spend more than two hours
watching a screen every day.
"A lot of three to five-year-olds have started these bad habits early," said Ms
Develin.
"If children are well equipped in fundamental movement skills they are more
likely to participate in physical activity and sport later they’ll have the
basic skills of how to run, throw and jump rather than just running around
erratically," she added.
—ANI