Introduction and Hypothesis:
Stress unites high school students together. Although it may seem counter-productive, putting down the books and taking a break to exercise may actually reduces the built-up stress. Relinquishing this anxiety may help the person perform better on the assignment at hand. Moreover, the benefits of exercising may even extend into social life, increasing the person’s self-esteem and confidence.
I hypothesize that physical activity improves a person’s lifestyle. I categorized improvement in lifestyle into two sections: academic performance and social relationships. I believe that about two-thirds of the students in the higher percentiles are active about seven hours a week. Also, I think a majority of the student population would agree that physical activity has helped their relationships in some form. I surveyed forty grade 12 students in Orchard Park Secondary School from both academic and college classes, including Accounting, English, and Biology, to get an accurate sample of data. After some thinking, I decided to conduct my survey through a paper medium. I distributed the surveys and then collected them for result tabulation. My though process behind using printed surveys, as opposed to online sites like Survey Monkey©, was that I wanted to focus specifically on high school students. Also, I tried to have an equal number of males and females participants, although I ended up with 21 males and 19 females. Lastly, for my secondary sources, I decided to use two major scholarly articles, one author published article, and a professional interview with OP’s very own Math Department Head, Mr. Murray. The method to my madness concerning secondary sources was to include reliable research, while main...
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...ctural change. As simple as they may be, they will undoubtedly impact a majority of in a profound manner.
Appendices:
Works Cited
Bergland, Christopher. "The Athlete's Way." 25 Studies Confirm: Exercise Prevents Depression. N.p., 29 Oct. 2013. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.
California Department of Education. A study of the relationship between physical fitness and academic achievement in California using 2002 test results. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Education; 2004.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The association between school based physical activity, including physical education, and academic performance. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2010.
Murray, Michael. Effects of exercise on social and academic condition. 31 March, 2014.
The book begins by explaining how important exercise and being active is to our health and well-being. The author then transitions into a story about Naperville Central High School. This high school was in the forefront of a revolutionary new concept that involved vigorous exercise of its students instead of a traditional gym class. This new approach stimulated new research on the brain, and the effects of exercise on the well being of our body and minds. After the introduction of the new fitness programs, the school’s students showed drastic increases in standardized tests, and on normal tests as well.
Whether or not this "runner's high" physically exists is a topic of heated debate in the scientific community. Scientists have seen many instances in which exercise has benefited the mental health of people. For one thing, physical activity can greatly improve one's self-esteem. Studies conducted on both children and clinically depressed patients show marked improvement in self-esteem, following aerobic and anaerobic exercise training. (Biddle and Mutrie 1991) Exercise does this because it creates a situation in which the participant learns to master a task, thus achieving a feeling of control over their life. Thus, exercise helps to do undo depression, which according to the "learned helplessness" theory of depression, is caused by recurring instances in which patients have no sense of control over the outcome.
"Physical Education." NASBE Center for Safe and Healthy Schools. National Association of State Boards of Education, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
other hand, obesity accounts for about 13 percent of children in the United States, which is why physical education programs should be one of the last things to go. They also help students release the stress they have built up through out the day and teach them the ...
Keteyian, Dr. Steven(2000, October 10). Exercise Boosts Mental, Physical Health. Retrieved April 12, 2005, from http://psycport.com/news/2000/10/10/DTNS/000-0286-Keyword.Missing.html
Taras, H., & Potts-Datema, W. (2005). Obesity and Student Performance at School. Journal of School Health, 75(8), 291.
Blumenthal et al. (2007) and Diaz and Motta (2008) conducted empirical studies to prove their hypotheses about the relationship of exercise and mental health. Blumenthal et al. looked at a sample size of 202 adults over the age of 40 and randomly assigned them to one of four groups: (a) group exercise setting, (b) home based exercise group, (c) sertraline group, or (d) placebo group. The participants who were assigned to the exercise groups participated in a 16 week moderate exercise program. The other two groups either received sertraline or a placebo pill. All participants were assessed before, during, and after using the Becks Depression Inventory II [BDI] (Beck, Sheer, & Brown, 1996) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale [HAM-D] (Williams, 19...
Doheny, Kathleen. "Kids Who Exercise More May Get Better Grades – WebMD."WebMD. WebMD, 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Proponents of physical education often contend their case with these and other similar arguments, but upon closer examination of the physical education system, its true use and effectiveness are highly questionable. Those who argue that physical education is integral to the nation’s health must reexamine the nation in which we live, a nation in which more than one-third of adults are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pennsylvanian legislation has mandated physical education since 1999, but since 1999, the adult obesity rate has risen by 11%. Regardless of the proponents’ claims, physical education is not having its intended effect on public health. (Note: I am not trying to suggest that physical education is deleterious to public health. I am just showing that physical education has done a negligible job promoting health). Furthermore, physical education consumes an entire class period of a student’s day, a class period which could be spent learning one of many highly important, pertinent 21st century subjects that the Common Core has inexplicably ignored: micro and macro economics, U.S.
Several researches have revealed that physical exercise has relieved many people from symptoms of anxiety and depression. During physical activity and exercise, the body produces a type of chemical called “serotonin”, a chemical that aids while dealing with anxiety, stress and depression. Studies also have shown that people who participate in sports results in higher self- esteem and a more positive self- image. Many studies made conclusions that adolescents and students who take part in sports and physical activities tend to have positive and higher self esteem than students who do not play sports and often tend to result better in academic performances at school.
IDEA Fitness Journal. Exercise Decreases Risk of Depression in Kids. October 2004. April 4th, 2005. < http://pdfserve.galegroup.com/pdfserve/get_item/1/Scdbf1ew6
Physical education must be mandatory for students all over the world. It provides many conveniences for children later in life. Sports in school encourage kids to play more outside of school and from there, their health increases. Unquestionably, physical education improves kids’
Life is full of troubles, demands, pressures and hassles—these are all factors related to stress. Stress is a state of mental or emotional tension resulting from adverse or difficult situations (Merriam-Webster). When you are in potential danger, your body responds with a “fight-or-flight” response to protect you from any harm. Situations like being robbed at gunpoint or studying last minute the night before the test can activate stress in your body. Although situations in life can increase stress, there are plenty of methods to diminish it. Methods like meditating, talking to family/friends, drinking tea, or even taking a quick nap--all of these methods are proven effective (The Franklin Institute). One method that is prominent to many is physical exercise. Exercise is considered to improve physical conditions and strength, but maintains mental fitness in the process. Although many assume that exercising is healthy, some may not be familiar of how it relieves stress in detail. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of exercise, the pros and cons must be considered. Some pros are: managing the levels of stress in your body, boosting your self-esteem, and improving learning and memory. The cons are: being time consuming and tedious, being costly and expensive, and risking injury while exercising. Let’s look at the pros of physical activity.
Chomitz, Slining, McGowan, Mitchell, Dawson, Hacker. (January 2009). Is There a Relationship Between Physical Fitness and Academic Achievement? Positive Results From Public School Children in the Northeastern United States. Journal of School Health, Vol. 79, Issue 1, 30-37.
“Physical education plays a critical role in educating the whole student. Research supports the importance of movement in educating both mind and body. Physical education contributes directly to development of physical competence and fitness. It also helps students to make informed choices and understand the value of leading a physically active lifestyle. The benefits of physical education can affect both academic learning and physical activity patterns of students. The healthy, physically active student is more likely to be academically motivated, alert, and successful. … Throughout the school years, quality physical education can promote social, cooperative and problem solving competencies. Quality physical education programs in our