Active Body, Active Brain

Active Body, Active Brain

September 2017

physical Education

active body, active brain

brains new after walk
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON THE BRAIN
Look at the brain functioning after just 20 minutes of walking. Getting kids to move helps strengthen and stimulate their brains. This is why so many recent research studies are showing increased fitness = improved academics. Note: The blue color represents inactivity in the brain.
Source: University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, Urbana, IL

Benefits of P.E. in schools

Physical education prepares children to be physically and mentally active, fit and healthy...for life. Here are some of the many benefits children receive from a quality PE program:
  • Improved physical fitness
  • Improved academics - The big bonus benefit!

Study: Active parents have more active kids
Children benefit when parents increase their own daily physical activity, according to new research by Statistics Canada.
A CBC report on the study explains that a “child’s level of physical activity rises by 5 to 10 minutes for every 20-minute increase in the physical activity of a parent.” Similarly, 140 children walked an additional 200 to 350 steps for every 1,000 steps that a parent walked. This connection is important to keep in mind when encouraging children to get the recommended 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day.
A similar relationship was also found between parent and child sedentary time. For every hour that a parent spent inactive, there was an 8- to 15-minute increase in the sedentary time of a child.
There was one exception, though. StatsCan found that, regardless of parents’ behavior, children involved in organized sport averaged between 5 and 15 minutes more MVPA per day.
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  • Skill and motor skills development
  • Provides regular, healthful physical activity
  • Teaches self-discipline
  • Facilitates development of student responsibility for health and fitness
  • Influence moral development, leadership, cooperate with others
  • Stress reduction – an outlet for releasing tension and anxiety
  • Strengthened peer relationships
  • Physical education can improve self-confidence and self-esteem
  • Respect - PE helps you respect your body, classmates and teammates
  • Experience in setting goals

Americans who had pe are twice as active today

Research by the Physical Activity Council emphatically shows that adults who have PE are less sedentary and participate in more activities outside of school. With 48% of all high schools having no PE today and schools reducing that amount of PE, is it any wonder why we are fighting an obesity and sedentary crisis?
Sounds like a case of monkey-see, monkey-do, doesn’t it?
Children who are less active and more overweight have a greater risk of developing chronic conditions and current trends estimate that 60% of the Canadian adult population will be overweight or obese by the year 2030. These findings by Statistics Canada aren’t meant to scare us, but rather reinforce what we already know to be good: raising physically literate kids who love to move.

Fun Fall Activities
Apple Picking
Plant bulbs for next spring
Go for a hike/bike ride
Play touch football
Horseback riding
Sign up for a race/walk
Yoga outside
Collect different leaves

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