The 24-Hour Movement Guidelines: Make Your Day Work For You
Peer reviewed by Dr. Peter Rawlek, MD & Scott Rollo, PhD
If changing your whole life sounds annoying, try changing 10 minutes.
Here’s the deal: You don’t need a pep talk; you need a tiny plan that actually fits your day. Think of your 24 hours like a playlist—some tracks hype you up (move), some help you recharge (sleep), and some are chill (screens). You choose the order. When you schedule even one small move, the rest of your day gets easier.
How much time do you really need for moving, sleeping, or just chilling on screens each day?
The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth are like a daily plan for feeling better, thinking clearer, and having more energy — without giving up the things you enjoy.
Your Simple Plan for More Energy and Better Health
Your 24 hours should be a mix of:
Moving more (some faster, some lighter)
Sleeping enough
Sitting less (especially on screens)
Some Fun Facts from the Guidelines
Sweat – Get Your Heart Pumping
Aim for 60 minutes a day where your heart beats faster and you breathe a little harder.
Can be dancing in your room, brisk walking, biking, skipping, or following a YouTube workout.
Step – Light Movement Counts Too
Try several hours of lighter movement: walking to the store, helping with chores, stretching, or playing with a pet.
Sleep – Recharge Your Brain and Body
Ages 12–13: 9–11 hours a night
Ages 14–17: 8–10 hours a night
While you sleep, your body grows and repairs, and it activates your brain’s save button: locking in what you learned and getting you ready for the next day.
Sit Less – Break It Up
Keep fun screen time under 2 hours a day.
Stand, stretch, or walk for a minute every 30–60 minutes of sitting.
Why it Helps Your Brain/Body/Teams
Brain: Short bursts of movement send more blood to your brain—focus lands, class feels less foggy, and homework takes fewer re-reads.
Body: Regular light + hard effort makes stairs, backpacks, and PE feel less heavy. You’re not “fit later”—you’re a little stronger by next week.
Boost your mood – Movement and sleep can make you feel calmer and happier.
Teaming up: Better sleep + Fewer long sits = better mood and energy. Group work, friends, and games go smoother when you’re not running on empty.
Think about it: Which day feels better?
Staying up late gaming, sitting all day, barely moving. (The next day is not pretty)
OR… getting some fresh air, sleeping enough, and moving a few times during the day. (That’s a pretty day!)
Try it today (one micro-action)
Before you open a game or socials after school, do 7 minutes: 2 min fast walk, 10 squats, 10 push/pull (wall push-ups or band/door-row), 30-sec balance each leg, 1 min stretch. Then open your phone. (Set it as a daily alarm—same time.)
Self-check
Did I break up at least one long sit with a quick move?
Will tonight’s shutdown time give me close to 8–10 hours of sleep?
Words to know
Micro-action: A tiny, scheduled behavior that’s easy to repeat (under 10 minutes).
Health agency: You choosing and planning what helps your health—not someone else telling you.
Movement break: A short burst to reset your body/brain during long sits.
Quick Reflection
How many hours a day do you think you sit?
Do you usually get enough sleep? (Just ask yourself one question: Am I tired the next day?)
What’s one small change you could make to your movement, sleep, or screen time today?
Progression not Perfection
Don’t overhaul your life. Schedule one repeatable micro-action and let it stack. Small on purpose beats big and never.
References:
Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. (2025). Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Children and Youth (5-17 years): An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep. 24-Hour Movement Guidelines. https://csepguidelines.ca/guidelines/children-youth/
Statistics Canada. (2025, October 17). Directly measured physical activity and sedentary time in Canada: New results from the Canadian Health Measures Survey, 2022 to 2024. The Daily. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/251017/dq251017b-eng.htm
ParticipACTION. Rallying for Resilience: Keeping Children and Youth Active in a Changing Climate. The 2024 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. Toronto: ParticipACTION; 2024.
Carson, V., Chaput, J. P., Janssen, I., & Tremblay, M. S. (2017). Health associations with meeting new 24-hour movement guidelines for Canadian children and youth. Preventive medicine, 95, 7-13.
Bang, F., Roberts, K. C., Chaput, J. P., Goldfield, G. S., & Prince, S. A. (2020). Physical activity, screen time and sleep duration: Combined associations with psychosocial health among Canadian children and youth. Health Rep, 31(5), 9-16.
Walsh, J. J., Barnes, J. D., Cameron, J. D., Goldfield, G. S., Chaput, J. P., Gunnell, K. E., ... & Tremblay, M. S. (2018). Associations between 24 hour movement behaviours and global cognition in US children: a cross-sectional observational study. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 2(11), 783-791.
Oberle, E., Fan, S., Molyneux, T. M., Ji, X. R., & Brussoni, M. (2025). Adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines and associations with mental well-being: a population-based study with adolescents in Canada. BMC Public Health, 25(1), 749.