New guidelines to help kids stay fit

LONDON, July 10 (UPI) -- The British government will be issuing new exercise guidelines aimed at children under 5 to fight childhood obesity, officials say.

The new guidelines, the first aimed at kids under 5, will recommend that young children exercise at least 3 hours a day, The Sunday Telegraph reported. Parents are advised to make their toddlers walk to nursery school, while babies should be enrolled in swimming classes.

The report will be issued this week by Sally Davies, the chief medical officer for England.

"I think there are parents who are not aware how important it is for their children to be physically active for a minimum of 3 hours," she said. "Other parents are very busy and may not see how important it is to get that prioritization and balance right."

Recent research suggests only about 30 percent of British children under age 5 get that much physical activity on a daily basis, the newspaper said.