Thanks for logging in.

You can now click/tap WATCH to start the live stream.

Thanks for logging in.

You can now click/tap LISTEN to start the live stream.

Thanks for logging in.

You can now click/tap LATEST NEWS to start the live stream.

LISTEN
Watch
on air now

Create a 3AW account today!

You can now log in once to listen live, watch live, join competitions, enjoy exclusive 3AW content and other benefits.


Joining is free and easy.

You will soon need to register to keep streaming 3AW online. Register an account or skip for now to do it later.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Why fidgeting is good for kids

3AW Breakfast
Article image for Why fidgeting is good for kids

It may drive parents bonkers when their kids won’t sit still, but fidgeting actually has some health benefits, according to a new world-first study.

The Deakin University study found that children who fidget burn off more energy than those who don’t, and it’s helping to prevent unhealthy weight gain.

Katherine Downing, Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellow, said the most fidgety children in the study burnt off almost 22,000 calories a year more than the least wriggly kids.

“For the average child in the study who weighed about 20kg, that could be a prevention in weight gain of about 3kg a year,” she said.

The most wriggly kids in the study changed their posture approximately 53 times per hour.

Dr Dowling said monitoring how much time children spend doing passive activities, like watching television, is important.

“We saw that when children were watching TV there were far fewer changes in posture than when they were playing with toys on the floor,” she said.

The results of the study apply for adults wanting to prevent weight gain too.

“It really just comes back to breaking up that sitting time,” Dr Dowling said.

“Even just standing and going for a short walk to the tea room … can have really important benefits for energy expenditure and health.”

 

3AW Breakfast
Advertisement