How exercise transforms your student's learning

Exercise is promoted for its beneficial effects on children's physical health. Regular participation in exercise has been shown to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, bone density, flexibility, balance and overall physical wellbeing in all age groups.
A growing body of literature indicates that exercise has a positive effect on mental health including health related quality of life, mental focus and improved mood states. Research shows participation in regular exercise is associated with improved brain function and cognition, improving academic performance. Dr. John Ratey, Harvard University.
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Some of the possible mechanisms for these cognitive benefits are:

• Increased blood flow (therefore nutrients) and oxygen flow to the brain
• Increased levels of noradrenaline and endorphins resulting in a reduction of stress and improved mood
• Dramatic increases in BDNF, the growth factor that stimulates new nerve cells development.
• Improved synaptic plasticity (the ability to think laterally and creatively) 

Increasing exercise to improve students’ academic performance often leads to less teaching time for academic subjects such as mathematics and language. In a crowded curriculum academic learning is given more teaching minutes per week, at the expense of time of being physically active. A synopsis of research literature provides clear evidence of the positive longitudinal relationship between exercise and academic performance. 

Exercise and Academic Performance
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To keep children active in school prepares the brain for learning, improves concentration and consistently produces better test results. We all know the post lunch or afternoon intellectual slump, that time where your brain seems slow to respond or sluggish in thinking tasks. A brisk walk or a quick exercise break provides a ‘sugar-hit’ and greater clarity with the increase of oxygen, new sense of clarity and attention as your brain functions optimally.  The same applies to the children in your class.
Even though the academic community, teachers and parents know exercise has a direct impact on brain function, schools tend to remove time from PE rather than to improve their PE programs. As a result, it becomes the parent’s responsibility to encourage their children to engage in active after school and weekend sport to reap the brain boosting benefits provided by exercise.

Cognitive Benefits
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Exercise burns energy, which can help students relax and focus on school work rather than fidget and be disruptive or distracted in the classroom.  A study conducted in 2009 at the University of Illinois at Urbana showed that as little as 30 minutes walking by 9 and 10 year olds  helped them perform better on cognitive tests and academics results. These results suggest that bouts of moderately intense aerobic exercises affect cognitive health and improves student academic performance.

Exercise Impacts On Memory
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Better flow of blood to the body and the brain enhances student memory. Low level aerobic exercise, such as walking or cycling has been found to have influence children’s’ performance at school. Art Kramer (Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois) says, 

                                      “Children are better at multitasking and think more efficiently,”
functions directly related to memory when they exercise. 

Outdoor Activity Benefits Mental Health
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Exercise outdoors, whether this is recess / lunchtime play, games that involve running or other forms of aerobic exercise are vital in a natural outdoor (non urban) environment. Researchers have found that exercising outside in the natural environment is linked to increased levels of energy and positive emotions, whilst decreasing confusion, anger and depression. 

Exercise and education
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Classroom academic performance requires concentration and focus. Exercise helps the  learning functions through improved cognition.  Improvements in the brain’s information processing, student behavior and memory / recall occur with exercise. Research shows a direct correlation between exercise, improved cognition and learning skills which in turn lead to better grades. It may be that higher intensity exercise can further improve learning in students.
There is absolutely no doubt that students require exercise. On a global measure, students do not get enough aerobic activity within the curriculum. The US is marginally worse than most Asian countries, with less than one third of students aged 6 to 17 doing 20 minutes of exercise per day in one form or another.
Academic performance, mental wellbeing, social engagement and a more positive outlook can all be achieved through aerobic exercise; even if that exercise decreases the number of minutes students spend in the academic classroom!