Mandatory PE Will Benefit all Students

Mandatory PE Will Benefit all Students

            Looking around in today’s society, there are many people that are overweight and out-of-shape. But, how did they become unfit? They did not work out during their childhood, and did not develop healthy exercise habits, that could be carried with them throughout their lives. All these problems could be fixed with one change of the school curriculum, mandatory physical education for all students in school. Physical Education requirements in America now are very pitiable. Kids must be informed on how to stay fit and what it takes to live a healthy life. Using these tools, they can continue in life and succeed on keeping themselves healthy. Americans do not take care of themselves well enough anymore, and it is continuing to get worse. Mandatory Physical Education classes in all high schools would benefit every student, making a more healthy and fit environment.

In society, there are many ideas of what constitutes as physical activity. But, “physical activity is defined as bodily movement that is produced by contraction of skeletal muscles and that substantially increases energy expenditure” and teenagers are not getting enough of it (Clark 532). Teens need exercise, which is “a planned, structured and repetitive bodily movement done to improve or maintain one or more components of physical fitness” (Clark 532). With the help of the school, all kids can receive time to exercise and be active.

Every year, in the United States, obesity is increasing among teenagers. Obesity is the leading cause of heart disease, diabetes mellitus, anxiety and depression, which causes 300,000  deaths a year (Murray 1). AS time has progressed, kids get more lazy and are not working to be in shape.  “In 1980, just 5% of school-age children were severely overweight, 20 years later, the number jumped to 15%” (Kemper 1). Kids are inactive and it is affecting their bodies. Students are not taking care of themselves properly and are not getting the proper physical activity that they need. Being an obese teen in today’s society is demeaning; they are made fun of and teased.  Obese teens “have low self-esteems and less respect for themselves than average-weighted teens” (Frissell 6).

Out of school, students are not participating in physical activities. When kids get out of school, they go home and just lay around, watching television or playing video games. “In a study done by the Centers of Disease Control, it was found that 61.5% of 9-13 year old kids do not participate in organized physical activity” and “22.6%...do not participate in any physical activity during their free time” (Kemper 2). When kids get out of school, they should be involved in some sort of physical activity, whether it is a sport, a game with friends or just recreational play outside.

Teens do not have developed physical activity habits and it is affecting their body negatively. In school, student enrollment in PE is declining every year. Students are dropping PE to enroll in other classes, thinking that physical activity is not important, but it is extremely crucial. “In a 11,631 student sample in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, in 1990, 43.5% of males and 52.0% of females said they weren’t enrolled in a PE class” (Participation 1-2). Enrollment in PE should be mandatory for all students, every year. As a whole, PE requirements for students, in all states “decline as children get older” (Kemper 2).

Declining enrollment in PE has been partly caused by PE classes being cut. Physical Education classes are being eliminated from schools “due to shrinking budgets and demand for improved academic performance on tests, mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act” (Kemper 1). Tough economic times are unfortunate, but schools must find a way to keep PE, because it is too important to lose. A recent cartoon in the Sentinel in Orlando, Florida showed a student taking “virtual physical activity” (Murray 2).

Currently in high schools, PE requirements are not significant enough for students. Illinois is the only state in the country that requires PE classes daily for all grades (Sealey 1). Overall, high schools have low requirements for Physical Education. The requirements vary depending on what grade a student is currently in or what other activities they are involved in.

In about one-third of high schools, if a student participates in school sports, band or cheerleading, then they can opt out of physical education class (Kemper 2). No matter what a student partakes in, they should be required to take a physical education class ever year of high school. Administrators can not assure that they are getting the required exercise that they need at their individual activity. “12 states allow students to earn PE credit online” which is absurd. Kids receiving PE credit online is not benefiting their bodies at all, because they are not physically active (Healthcare 1).

            It is recommended that physical activity not be used as a punishment for children (National 1). PE should not consist of games that single kids out, for example, when playing basketball, teams should not be chosen by drafting the players one by one and leaving the untalented players at the end that no one wants on their team, but the teachers should predetermined teams, that way no one is left out and feels uncomfortable. These acts lower kid’s self-esteem and make them discouraged about themselves. Kids who hate gym class in school, tend to hate being active as an adult because they associate discomfort with being active (Murray 4). PE should be a time where all kids are happy and enjoying themselves.

In PE classes, students are not working out hard enough to gain substantial needs. The average time per class that students worked vigorously during an activity is 4.8 minutes (Study 2). With most PE classes being an hour and a half long, this time should be significantly higher. Kids need to be pushed in PE, so that they can be healthy. Activities that they under-go during gym class should be challenging.

“Throughout history, dating back to prehistoric times, physical activity and exercise have been shown to impact health physically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually among all populations” (Clark 532). Physical activity is important for all aspects of the body. Without physical activity, a person would not be as healthy. The body thrives on hard work and exercise. Without it, it will shut down and not perform properly.

            Physically, the body must have activity on a regular basis, because it affects the “development and maintenance of healthy bones, muscles and joints” (National 1). People that are not active have over-weight and out-of-shape bodies, they do not take care of themselves by getting outside or in the gym. Endurance exercise, or exercise that involves running for a long period of time, is “necessary to strengthen the heart, lungs, and circulatory system” (Fahey 2). Developing strong endurance helps respiration and improves the flow of blood to the appendages.  Along with improvements to the parts of the body, physical activity-even small changes to increase daily activity-minimizes the chance of developing chronic diseases (Centers 61). Light work can benefit the body substantially because physical activity does not have to be extremely hard to be beneficial.

            Not only does physical activity affect the look of the body, it affects your mood. When you exercise, your brain gets pumping with blood. Additionally, it also increases brain levels of norepinephine, dopamine and serotonin, all of which help boost your mood (Chollar 65). Working out makes people feel good about them and improves self-esteem. It “reduces risk for depression, improves feelings of well-being” (National 1). Some exercise when they are frustrated of stressed. It is how they coupe with problems, and it is successful because “exercise improves mood. Its effects are most obvious after you are finished working- out and can last for hours” (Chollar 63).

            Additionally, Physical Activity benefits the mind. When the body performs vigorous activity, blood pumps to the brain at a faster rate, which evidence shows “helps the creative juices flow” (Chollar 64). Higher levels of physical activity are “associated with higher academic work” in school (Sealey 1). A student must be active during school, so that they perform better on tests. Administrators think that taking out PE would benefit scores, when it actually benefits them.

PE enrollment and class requirements must be changed. “To improve the health of youth through PE, parents, teachers, school administrators, school board member, pediatricians, family physicians and public health officers need to implement policies that ensure every students enrollment and participation in daily programs and develop programs that provide at least twenty minutes of daily physical activity” (Participation 2). Every student needs to be in a PE class, without any exceptions. Classes need to be more challenging for students, so that improvement for their body’s can take place. School administrators should get information about the classes and students should asses them to find the problems with Physical Education (Murray 3). A change must take place so that PE class can be healthy for students. A student can be an activist by starting a petition to get healthy benefits in PE (McGraw 123).

PE classes need to provide an opportunity for students to learn skills and develop healthy habits. Kids should learn “skills and knowledge needed to establish and sustain an active lifestyle” (National 1).Students need to develop skills that students can “carry over to adult life” (Participation 1). If kids have skills that will keep them physically active, they can be healthier throughout their lives. PE class is an essential time for kids to get active because they are at school so much (Sturm 4).

PE classes should follow required guidelines that are administrated. The time for activity should be raised for students. Recommended requirements for PE programs is 225 minutes of PE a week for middle and high schools (National 1). The time one exercises is not sufficient either, experts think that exercising three times a week is healthy (Frissell 99). 15 states are trying to change their PE programs, so that they encourage exercise (Sealey 2).

The benefits of mandatory physical education far out weigh the negatives. In present day, high school students think that not having required physical education is a normal lifestyle, when it is an essential key to living a healthy life. Physical activity is viewed as an important aspect through out all of society, even President John F. Kennedy once said, “Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body; it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity. The relationship between the soundness of the body and the activities of the mind is subtle and complex” (Clark 902). Ironically, even as obesity increases in America every year, we still cut physical education classes in high schools all across the country. High schools must change the curriculum, so that physical education is mandatory for all students in every grade. The overall health of our society can be improved, but it has to begin now with the children.  They must get off the couch, quit lying around and once again get acquainted with the outside environment and get physically active.

Works Cited

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine.    “Exercise is Physically Beneficial”. Scott Barbour and Karin L. Swisher, ed. Health and           Fitness: Opposing Viewpoints. David Bender and Bruno Leone, ser. Ed. San Diego:           Greenhaven, 1996.

Chollar, Susan. “Exercise Can Be Physically Beneficial.” Scott Barbour and Karin L. Swisher,      ed. Health and Fitness: Opposing Viewpoints. David Bender and Bruno Leone, ser. Ed.    San Diego: Greenhaven, 1996.

Clark, Becky. “Exercise and Health.” Berkshire Encyclopedia of World Sport. David Levinson    and Karen Christensen, ed. 4 vols. Great Barrington, MA: Berkshire, 2005. 2:532-538.

Fahey, Thomas D. Basic Weight Training. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 1989.

Frissell, Susan, and Paula Harvey, Eating Disorders and Weight Control. Springfield, NJ:             Enslow, 1998.

Healthcare Economist Page. 4 Jan. 2008. Wordpress and Tarski. 1 Nov. 2009.<http://healthcare-            economist.com/2008/01/04/pe-requirements-and-overweight-youth/>. 

Kemper, Vicki. “New Priorities Leave PE, Obese Children Behind.” Los Angeles Times. 15         Sept. 2003. 1 Nov. 2009<http://www.dr.woolard.com/peinnews/new_priorities.htm>.

McGraw, Jay. The Ultimate Weight Solution for Teens. New York: Free, 2003.

Murray, Barbara A. and Kenneth T. Murray. ”A Nation Out of Shape.” American School Board   Journal. Aug. 1999. 29-33. SIRS Knowledge Source. 26 Oct. 2009           <http://www.sks.sirs.com/>.

National Conference of State Legislatures Health Page. Dec. 2005. 11 Nov. 2009             <http://www.ncsl.org/IssuesResearch/Health/PhysicalEducationandPhysicalActivityfor            Child/tabid//14027/Defaultaspx>.

“Participation of High School Students in Physical Education.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly             Report. 6 Sept. 1991. 607+. SIRS Knowledge Source. 26 Oct. 2009<http://sks.sirs.com/>.

Sealey, Geraldine. “Just Do it? Many Schools Cutting Gym Class.” ABC News. 1 Nov.             2009<http://www.ihpra.org/ABCNEWS_com%20%20No%20Sweat%20when%20Gym  %20Class%20Cut.htm>.

“Study Suggests Schools Lacking in Exercise Programs for Children.” Study Suggest Schools      Lacking in Exercise Programs for Children. 10 Feb. 2003. n.p. SIRS Knowledge Source.        26 Oct. 2009<http://sks.sirs.com/>.

Sturm, Roland. “Childhood Obesity--What We Can Learn from Existing Data on Sociatal            Trends, Part 2.” Preventing Chronic Disease. Apr. 2005. 1-9. SIRS Knowledge Source.       26 Oct. 2009<http://sks.sirs.com/>.