To Your Health
October, 2019 (Vol. 13, Issue 10) |
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An A+ for Movement
By Editorial Staff
Desk confinement is pretty much the standard for students once they hit first grade, all the way through college. (By the way, it doesn't get any better if you take a desk job after completing your education.) Beyond the health issues being illuminated on a near-daily basis regarding the toll constant sitting can exert on the body, research also suggests the mind can suffer from too much sitting.
For example, according to research involving more than 12,000 schoolchildren in grade school or preschool, a little movement can be a very good thing when it comes to academic performance. Analysis of previous studies conducted in the U.S. and nine other countries revealed that "physically active lessons" that include periodic physical activities such as jogging in place or doing squats, results in superior lesson-time and test performance outcomes compared to inactive lessons.
Published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the research review suggests these findings should encourage policy changes to help students. As the researchers stated: "In elementary and preschool settings, when physically active lessons were added into the curriculum they had positive impact on both physical activity and educational outcomes. These findings support policy initiatives encouraging the incorporation of physically active lessons into teaching in elementary and preschool settings."
