Sports star warns kids missing out on exercise
PARENTS can wrongly believe their children get enough exercise at school and don’t need extra-curricular physical activities, an Irish rugby star and Ulster University student has warned.
Louise Galvin said curbs on playground games as well as limited or no PE sessions can leave many children at risk of not meeting the recommended 60 minutes of exercise a day.
“Often it’s the PE hall in school that’s the first to go if there is a concert or exam going on,” said the former Co Kerry footballer and Irish basketball international.
Galvin, a qualified physiotherapist who is now doing a masters degree in sports and exercise medicine at Ulster University, said parents could think of basic ways to get children active at home.
“It might involve dancing in front of the television or a game of hide and seek,” she said.
“Instead of a trip to the cinema they could make an outing or go indoors to something like trampolining if it’s raining.”
Galvin is an ambassador for the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists, which held its annual conference at the weekend.
She said children learn a lot from sport, especially when it comes to mistakes and dealing with disappointment.
“They learn it’s OK to fail,” she said.
Sport also gives more balance to the young pupil’s life and has huge concentration benefits for study, she added. “Girls in sport have a better self-image and more confidence,” she said.
Louise has excelled in a range of sports, including basketball and rugby.
She has also played GAA football for her home county, winning the Munster Championship and National League, as well as representing Munster at interprovincial level.