Regular Exercise for Students

Regular Exercise for Students

Regular exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. People who lead an active life are less likely to get ill and more likely to live longer. Exercise not only makes you physically fitter, it also improves your mental health and general sense of wellbeing.

It’s important that physical activity is a part of life for children, adults and older people. It doesn’t have to be a vigorous workout – you can find ways to fit being active into your daily routine, such as walking. If you have never done exercise or haven’t done any for a while, it’s easy to get started. Physical activity is key for maintaining a healthy body weightr
While awareness of the importance of physical activity to health has certainly increased, what most people do not understand is how important physical activity is to the well-being of children and youth in areas other than health. Although these contributions may not receive as much press, they are equally important.
Growth and Development

Children and adolescents are growing and developing as physical beings. Regular physical activity is essential to their growth and development. Regular physical activity helps build strong bones and muscles, helps control weight, and may play a major role in improving blood pressure and cholesterol levels (NASPE, 2008). Strong bones develop as a result of weight-bearing activities and those that stress the bones. Active children have a higher bone mass and are less likely to have problems (osteoporosis) later in life. The development of all systems of the body is affected by the level of physical activity of children and adolescents.
Social and Emotional Well-Being

Play is an important human behavior. While the forms of play change throughout the life span, the need for playful activity does not. There is evidence that motor skills used in play and learned early in life enhance a child’s ability to participate in activities later in life (Malina, 1996). Physical play is a critical contributor to the development of children’s social skills and the well-being of adults. Elementary schools that have eliminated recess (see chapter 6), as well as home environments that do not provide children opportunities to go out and play, deprive students not only of the opportunity to be physically active but also of the opportunity to develop the social skills they will need as an adult.

Physical play is important to our emotional well-being. Studies show that regular physical activity in childhood and adolescence reduces stress and improves self-esteem. We are physical beings, and as such we need to move. Each culture has accepted forms of play. Children who do not learn to participate in the accepted forms of play of their culture are at a disadvantage socially as children and later as adults. Such learning not only takes care of our physical body but also facilitates emotional well-being.
Cognitive Functioning and Academic Performance