It’s time to get active, says Healthy Harold

Wow, can you believe it’s Term 2 already? I hope everyone had a great holiday and stayed safe, happy and healthy.

One of the best things about holidays is having the chance to get active with family and friends, and it’s great to see that some of you have sent me some questions about this very topic.

I’ll answer them below, but first if you have a question for Healthy Harold, you can ask it by clicking HERE. Please don’t include names and personal information about yourself or others. It’s important we respect everyone’s privacy.

Now, here are my answers to some of the great questions you sent me recently:

How much time should I spend exercising?
Thank you for asking! As you may know, I love to exercise in lots of different ways but one of my favourite sports is soccer. I think my long legs help me to run fast!

Exercise can be anything that makes us breathe faster and makes our heart beat quicker, which is really good for our growing bodies, our brains, and our overall wellbeing. Not only will regular exercise improve your quality of life, but it will also help you to get a good night’s sleep each night.

It is recommended that children be physically active for at least 60 minutes every day — but you don’t need to do it all in one go. You could start with sitting less and moving more by limiting the amount of time on devices or watching screens, and replacing this time with anything you enjoy that gets you up and active.

Speaking of exercise, I have the school sports carnival soon. I’d better get back to my training!

When you exercise everyday is it good for you?
Yes! Exercising everyday is GREAT for us! Moving our bodies and being physically active everyday is really important.

Did you know that we aren’t meant to sit down and be still all of the time? So when we move our bodies it helps us to stay healthy, fit, and strong.

Exercise is good for every part of our body, including our heart, lungs, muscles, bones and even our brain.

Moving our body actually helps us think and learn better! This is why our teachers might get us up and moving in the classroom.

One thing that I really love about exercising and moving my body is that it is fun! I love playing soccer with my friends, and I love dressing up and dancing to music. It makes me happy and it makes me feel good.

How do you like to move your body?

Who needs the most sleep and why is it them?
Sleep is always a topic I love to talk about. It is so essential for our bodies and minds so they become refreshed and recharged.

We hear all the time about needing to sleep for eight hours but that’s actually for an adult! The younger a person is, the more sleep they need. Meaning that a baby is the person who is going to need the most sleep.

When you think about it, a baby seems to sleep a lot don’t they? That’s because of all the wonderful things their body is doing while they are growing up. They are getting bigger, learning new things and their bodies need time slow down.

As we grow up these things don’t stop but our bodies get used to the work so we need less sleep then we did when we were younger.

A person in primary school might still need up to 12 hours of sleep a night! That sounds a lot, but think of all the wonderful things you get up to in a day and how it is sometimes hard to concentrate. You might have no energy for sports or even might feel a little grumpy when we haven’t had enough sleep.

Also just a fun fact, did you know what animal needs the most sleep?

A koala! They can sleep up to 22 hours in the day. That’s because they don’t eat as many wonderful foods like you and me and they get a little sleepy.

That’s why it’s so important to have a balanced diet, but also to remember to get enough sleep to let our bodies rest to be ready for another big day.

If you sleep, why do you need to close your eyes?
Hmmm … I had never thought about that before! What an interesting question. I had fun researching the answer to this.

Apparently, we need to close our eyes to block out some of the light which would stimulate our brain and make it hard for us to go to sleep. Imagine trying to go to sleep while looking at posters of delicious carrots on your bedroom wall! Do you have pictures of carrots on your walls like me?

It would also be difficult for the brain to go into a deep sleep for it to recharge. Plus, imagine how dry and sore our eyes would become if the eyelids did not close while we were sleeping! OUCH!

But did you know that the National Sleep Foundation estimates that 1 in 5 people actually do sleep with their eyes open?

How long should I brush my teeth?
Lucky for us (people and giraffes), we don’t need to spend a really long time brushing our teeth. We only need to brush our teeth for two minutes twice a day.

But we do need to remember a few handy tips to keep our smiles beautiful and healthy:

• Follow a routine to make sure all teeth are being cleaned. I like to start at the back teeth on the top row and work my way around to the other side, then I do the same for my bottom teeth, I mean the bottom row of teeth — my bottom doesn’t have any teeth!
• Brush softly with a soft bristled toothbrush. Being gentle when we brush our teeth helps to take care of our gums (the pink stuff that holds our teeth in place), and a special covering on our teeth called enamel.
• Remember to brush all surfaces — the outside, inside and chewing surfaces, oh and don’t forget your tongue! Brushing our tongue helps to remove bacteria that can give us bad breath!
• Don’t forget to floss. Flossing is just as important as brushing our teeth. It helps to remove food that the bristles can’t get to.
• Replace your toothbrush. Dentists recommend we do this every three months. When the bristles are worn and stick outwards, or after we have been sick.
• Visit your dentist at least once a year. Ask an adult at home to help set up a reminder with the dentist so when it’s almost time to visit again you get a friendly notification.

Want to know more about teeth and brushing and flossing (your teeth, not the dance move!) and Dental Health Week? Visit the Australian Dental Association website ada.org.au

Click HERE to ask Healthy Harold a question. Please don’t include names and personal information about yourself or others. It’s important we respect everyone’s privacy.