Studies show that less than half of mothers get enough exercise.
And those with the youngest children do the least.
Experts said efforts should be made today to help mothers participate in vigorous physical activity.
Studies show that less than half of mothers get enough exercise. And those with the youngest children do the least
Rachel Simpson, a PhD student in the Medical Research Council’s Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, said: “More exercise has clear benefits in both the short and long term, especially when it gets your heart rate up.
“But the demands of motherhood can make it difficult to find time.
“We need to think about how to not only encourage mothers, but also to make it as easy as possible for busy mothers, especially those with younger children, to get more intense physical activity.”
Physical activity has been linked to a wide range of health benefits – from reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease to maintaining a healthy weight and improving mental health.
A team of researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Southampton analyzed data from 848 women aged 20 to 32 who were recruited between 1998 and 2002 and followed over several years.
They were given accelerometers to measure their activity levels.
Women with school-aged children engaged in about 26 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity, while women with children four years of age or younger engaged in about 18 minutes per day.
In contrast, mothers with more than one child managed only about 21 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity.
On the other hand, mothers with several children under the age of five showed more light-intensive activities than mothers with school-aged children.
NHS advice says adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a week.
Professor Keith Godfrey of the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Center and NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Center said: “It is perhaps not unexpected that mothers with young children or multiple children engage in less intense physical activity, but this is the first study to quantify its importance have. reduction.
“Local government planners and leisure providers need to do more to support mothers in physical activity.”
The results were published in the journal Plos One.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
