There is a reason why all of those "good ideas" come to us when we step away from the task at hand. Or why we feel nicer, and more willing to engage in learning after we have some exercise. It is because in those moments of physical movement, our heart is sending increased levels of blood to one of the most important muscles in our body... The brain! We as physical educators are not neuroscientists or experts in this field, but we have had a chance to read and explore much of the evolving research in this area. Below is a short list of some of the benefits and topics around Physical Education and movement. Have a quick read, and click on the links that will take you to some of the research around this topic.
-Improvements to cognitive blood flow that helps with concentration and mood control.
-Reduce Depression and Anxiety
-Reduce Stress
-Life long learning
-Canadian government daily physical activity recommendations
-->Improvements to cognitive blood flow that helps with concentration and mood control.
Here is one of our favourite Ted Talk videos from a well know Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki, who is actually researching this topic.
The fact is, even with ground breaking research around the positive effects to our brain, we are still dealing with difficult realities in Canadian society. These realities are that the many schools and school boards are continuing to cut back teaching time from Physical Education classes. Here is an article out of Carlton University that talks about the current statistics in Canada.
Lastly, the Canadian government DOES have recommendations on how much movement our students should be getting. Take a look at the recommendations for children aged 5-17 years of age.
Anyways, in our classes this year, we will not only fill the class with fun, engaging activities, but we will be looking to instill a life-long interest in movement and integrating into our everyday lives. The last thing we want to mention is the importance of INTENSITY. When students engage in a higher intensity exercise (sweating more and breathing heavier), there is research that shows that students see an increased benefit to their cognitive functions. WE MUST teach our students that it is not only okay to sweat, but they MUST sweat to get the best results.
Thank you for reading our blog and if you have further questions on the importance of Physical Education, please feel free to contact us and we will gladly help direct you towards where you can learn more!
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