Exercise is a weighty issue

Unless they start selling mobile phones attached to the back of chickens, it’s difficult to see how we can get our children to exercise more.

As many parents will tell you, children spend more time on their phones than they do running about in the fresh air.

Stick their mobile phones to the backs of chickens and you’d fast see them chasing the birds about so they can log onto Instagram.

Joking aside, it is becoming a serious issue for parents across our community. Latest statistics from Public Health England show that the number of children doing the recommended 60 minutes of exercise a day falls by nearly 40% between the ages of five and 12.

While some drop off can be expected, the size of the shortfall is a huge concern.

The knock-on effect of children leading more sedentary lifestyles is reflected in our obesity figures. And in Sunderland they don’t make for good reading

If I was to ask you which area in the country has the highest rate of hospital admissions for obesity, would you be surprised to discover it’s Sunderland?

Probably not, but it’s a fact ... and a chronic lack of physical exercise is one of the contributing factors.

As adults, we only have ourselves to blame if we refuse to exercise or eat healthily.

But when it comes to children, they can’t be allowed to police themselves.

Parents can’t afford to shrug their shoulders and do nothing, they have to act and ensure their children get exercising.

There’s plenty of activities they can be steered towards in our community.

We just have to make the effort. They’re fun, energetic and a lot less hassle than attaching your child’s mobile to a chicken.