Youth

• Infants, toddlers, and preschoolers need to be physically active.  Targeted daily activities are crucial building blocks in learning to walk, run and all the other tasks adults take for granted. 
• An infant who hangs out in a bouncy seat all day might be content staring at the suspended toys, but will probably roll over and sit later than babies who spend time moving around on a blanket.
• It is not suggested to start a baby/toddler exercise program, just incorporate commonsense activities such as: 8

 

1. Playing "peek-a-boo" or "patty-cake", and being carried around to explore new environments
2. Keeping babies out of baby seats or other restrictive settings whenever possible - Even young infants move differently when placed on a blanket on the floor than when in a baby seat
3. Toddlers should accumulate 30 minutes of structured physical activity and preschoolers at least an hour, every day
4. Toddlers and preschoolers should spend at least an hour a day in free play: exploring, experimenting, imitating
5. Should not be sedentary for more than an hour at a time (when awake)

Number of youth who participate in physical activity

Population group, age 8-16 years	Sample: Size, No	< 1 times weekly	2 times weekly	> 3 times weekly
Total	4056	8.8	11.6	79.6
Boys, age group, y	1985	5.2	10.3	84.6
8-10	794	8.9	11.5	79.6
11-13	650	4.0	8.3	87.7
14-16	541	2.6	11.0	86.4
Girls, age group, y	2071	12.5	13.0	74.5
8-10	748	8.5	14.6	76.9
11-13	706	8.7	9.5	81.8
14-16	617	20.1	14.9	65.0

Unadjusted and Age-Specific Prevalence (per 100) of the Number of Reported Sessions of Weekly Play or exercise That Results in Sweating or Hard Breathing Among US Children, 1988 through 1994 2 More than half of 8th and 10th grade females and more than 1/3 of 8th and 40% of 10th grade males do not engage in sports or exercise on a regular basis 3. Adolescence is a critical transition period in which habits are formed 54

Youth and strength training programs Physical activity confers many positive health outcomes on young people 11