Exercise advice for children aged 7 to 12 with cystic fibrosis

Children aged 7 to 12 should do at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity everyday.

Activities should involve exercises that help build up muscle and bone strength.

What counts as moderate activity?

When a child is working at a moderate intensity they should feel that they are breathing harder, but still be able to carry on a conversation.

Examples of moderate activity include:

• Walking to school
• Taking the dog for a walk
• Playing in the playground
• Riding a scooter
• Skateboarding and rollerblading
• Cycling on level ground

What counts as vigorous activity?

When a child is working at a vigorous intensity they should feel that they are breathing harder and if trying to talk they will only be able to say a few words before pausing for a breath.

Examples of vigorous activity include:

• playing fast running games such as chase, tig and so on
• dancing
• swimming
• running
• gymnastics
• team sports such as football, rugby, basketball
• martial arts
• cycling fast or including hills

The above activities help improve muscle and bone strength. Other activities to also do include yoga or pilates, swinging on playground equipment such as monkey bars, a prescribed weights routine and so on.

Sometimes you can combine vigorous activity with airway clearance. Please ask your physiotherapist for about this.

Encouraging activity and exercise

This is a key time to build activity into your child’s daily routine, it is important not just to rely on PE lessons at school. Focus on activities that your child enjoys.

Research shows that doing activities as a family or with friends helps to improve motivation and participation in exercise.

Exercise does not have to cost a lot of money, a simple internet search can help give you lots of great ideas.

At annual review you will be asked to give a description of your child’s exercise and activity levels. Giving an honest description lets the team to use this information and your child’s exercise test to give the best and most suitable advice to helping your child.

Please ask the cystic fibrosis physiotherapy team if you would like to arrange a 1:1 session to go through specific activity ideas for your child.

This information resource is a guide only and should be used with specific individual information given to you at your clinic appointments by a physiotherapist.