Physical Education: Enrolling in a Healthy Life

Physical Education: Enrolling in a Healthy Life

            Throughout today’s society, many people are overweight and out-of-shape. Numerous theories of why Americans are becoming so unhealthy have emerged, but the facts are clear: children who do not work out and learn healthy exercise habits are highly unlikely to become healthy adults. This is a problem that needs to be addressed at the roots. As children grow, they need guidance to stay active and healthy. Fortunately, a program exists in almost every high school that teaches students valuable fitness skills and keeps them active to maintain a healthy body. This program is called physical education; however, it is a course lacking in the high school curriculum. Students should be required to enroll in a physical education class that is year-round because of the many mental and physical benefits it offers.

            Students need to know what constitutes as physical activity. Physical activity is described by Webster’s Dictionary as “bodily movement that is produced by contraction of skeletal muscles and that substantially increases energy expenditure.” Different types of physical activity exist, including aerobic exercise, which is the most common. An exercise that requires respiration and is around twenty to thirty minutes long is considered aerobic exercise (Tecco 1).

            Aerobic exercise is the best type of physical activity for students who want to loose weight and stay healthy, but in schools across the United States physical education has been substantially reduced, and in some cases, completely eliminated. Only around 55.7 percent of students have a physical education class listed on their schedule. Another startling fact is that among the meager 55.7 percent of students who are enrolled in physical education classes, only around 28.4 percent of students actually attend the class. Of those 28.4 percent of students, only thirty-nine percent are physically active during the class (Beyer 1). The National Association for Sport and Physical Education and American Heart Association conducted a survey and found that many states offer physical education, but of the forty-two states that require physical education, none of them require the recommended amount of physical activity per week. The amount of exercise children and teens are getting is miniscule compared to the recommended minimum of 255 minutes per week set by The National Association for Sport and Physical Education and American Heart Association. The 2001 No Child Left Behind act put in place by George W. Bush continues to pressure high school physical education because it is not a tested subject (Doolittle 1).

            Relieving pressure from Bush’s No Child Left Behind act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, also known as HHS, has issued new minimums on the frequency of physical activity. The guidelines include at least sixty minutes of physical activity a day for children and also recommended that high school students incorporate vigorous aerobic exercise into their exercise program for at least an hour three days a week. Activities considered vigorous include “jumping rope, running and sports.” In addition, the guidelines recommend that students integrate “muscle-strengthening activities such as rope climbing and sit-ups, three days a week.” Other work-outs include “bone-strengthening activities, such as… running and skipping” are also suggested three days a week (Goldman 1).

            Unfortunately, because high school physical education is not a required class, students are not getting the instruction they need to become healthy adults. This completely contradicts the purpose of physical educators who believe their goal is to prepare their students for a healthy lifetime. Physical education teachers also hope that their students will continue to participate in active exercises when they are not available to instruct (Ennis 1). One of the goals of physical educators is to teach students how to set up an exercise schedule. Studies show that children who exercise on a regular basis tend to stick to the schedule and are more likely to exercise (Butler 2). Sadly, studies confirm that “nearly half of the young people ages 12 to 21 surveyed are not vigorously active on a regular basis” (Lalonde 1). Physical educators say that physical activity experienced in schools at a young age is the most powerful predictor that the child will become an active adult later in life (Ennis 1). Required high school physical education would ensure that students are equipped with the skills needed to become active and able-bodied adults.

            In order for children to become healthy adults, they must fight one of the most deadly epidemics in America, obesity. According to most doctors, those who have an extra thirty pounds, or are thirty pounds above their recommended weight, are classified as obese. An individual considered overweight is someone with a “body mass index (BMI), a calculation based on height and weight, [above] 25. If a person’s BMI is over 30, then he or she is considered obese” (Witt 2).  Students who attend schools that have declining physical education and have abandoned recess are more likely to become obese than those students who have a strong physical education program. Childhood obesity has a direct correlation with high schools that lack physical education. Health issues including “hypertension, high-cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and asthma, as well as depression and low self-esteem” have a great impact on the health of Americans (Butler 1).  Health officials state that “physical inactivity, such as watching TV, playing video games or clicking away on PCs, instead of playing” is the main factor responsible for childhood obesity (Witt 2). Another factor responsible for childhood obesity is overeating. Being overweight may be used as an excuse to not participate in physical activity (Wynder 130). Males eleven to fourteen years old are allowed 2700 calories per day while males fifteen to eighteen years old are allowed 2800 calories per day.  Females eleven to fourteen years old are allowed 2200 calories per day while females fifteen to eighteen years old are allowed 2100 calories per day (Athletic 502). Many children eat more than the recommended amount and over time those children who are not physically active will become obese.

            People may think that obesity is not an enormous problem, but “About two-thirds of all adult Americans are fat, but what is alarming is that more children and teenagers are overweight, and as they grow up, their health problems will have huge repercussions [in our] society” (Witt 1). The numbers are staggering; around “…nine million children and adolescents in the U.S. are overweight or obese.” This number accounts for around fifteen percent of children who are between the ages of six and nineteen. A surprising survey was taken from 1971 to 1974 that revealed “…only four percent of children ages six through eleven were overweight or obese, and six percent of adolescents between the ages of twelve and nineteen [were] overweight or obese.” It is clear that obesity rates have soared over the past forty years and John Foreyt, director of Behavioral Medicine Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston agrees:

Twenty years ago, it was unusual to see a three-hundred pound person in my clinic, now we see it all the time. And it used to be we would see obesity in adults, but now we see it in children. This may be the first generation of children who die before their parents.

By 2040, if obesity continues to rise at the current rate, almost every American will be overweight or obese (Witt 2). This will not help the fact that approximately “300,000 deaths a year are contributed to obesity-related diseases” (Witt 3).

            Physical activity reduces the risk of obesity and improves one’s heart, lungs, muscles, endurance and much more. The best way to keep the heart and lungs in good condition is to participate in regular physical exercise. Not only does exercise improve the heart and lungs, but it also improves “muscular strength and endurance” (Lalonde 2). The body consists of around 650 muscles and exercise will benefit just about every single one of them (King 2). The term, “cardio-respiratory endurance”, is used to describe “how efficiently your heart pumps blood and oxygen to your muscles.” Cardio-respiratory is increased with regular exercise, which decreases “the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and other cardiovascular diseases” (“Fundamental…” 1). Although maintaining a healthy cardio-respiratory endurance may sound challenging, it is actually quite easy. Exercising aerobically three times a week is enough to gain cardiovascular fitness, and with mandatory physical education a few times a week, your heart would be stronger than ever (Tecco 1).

            Not only does exercise increase the body’s physical fitness, it also expands and relaxes the mind. Many studies have shown that exercise reduces the severity of depression. Self-esteem has been seen to increase when people exercise. This improves one’s mood if they suffer from depression or other related mental illnesses (Lalonde 1). Exercise improves self-esteem which can be defined as “liking, respecting, and accepting oneself and appreciating one’s self worth” (Kahn 330). Exercise decreases depression by reducing boredom and correcting poor sleep patterns. Those who are well rested and have a task at hand are unlikely to feel as depressed as usual (Lalonde 2). Because exercising only eight minutes a day can reduce depression, the results come prompt and effortless. Walking down the street or even going on a short bike ride can “help lower sadness, tension, and anger” (Lalonde 1). The cause of these benefits from exercise is still relatively unknown. One possible reason is that “When we exercise, our bodies release certain chemicals known as serotonin or beta-endorphins. These chemicals are the body’s natural ‘uppers’. They help us feel relaxed and happy” (Lalonde 2). One simple fact can not be denied: “Those who exercise tend to enjoy life more because they are healthy and look good” (“Fundamental…” 3).

            Strangely enough, the body can also benefit from exercise at a microscopic level. The body’s immune system, one’s “…defense against colds, infections, and sickness, are strengthened by regular exercise.” This makes the body “less susceptible to injury and sickness.” Exercise also has other prevention benefits besides just the immune system. Osteoporosis, a disease that usually attacks the bones of older individuals, can be prevented through regular exercise (Lalonde 2).

            Numerous parents believe that physical education is interfering with time that could be spent learning or studying academic subjects like math or English. However, “Kids who are more physically active tend to perform better academically.” It has been scientifically proven that students who are active have a twenty percent advantage of receiving an “A” in math or English compared to students who are not active (Trost 2). Physical education improves academic success because physical activity increases concentration, which would transfer over to improving concentration on tests. When it is all said and done, those who are physically active will have superior grades than those who are not (Trost 3).

Quality physical education has been absent from the high school curriculum for many years. Budget cuts, new policies, and illogical conclusions have reduced and almost completely eliminated physical education in high schools. Physical education prevents diseases, increases self-esteem, and gives students a time to relieve their stresses. As stated by former president John Fitzgerald Kennedy:

 “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 are subtle and complex. Much is not yet understood…intelligence and skill can only function at the peak of their capability when the body is healthy and strong; and that hearty spirit and tough minds usually inhabit sound bodies” (Lalonde 2).

With so many obvious benefits it is unfortunate that physical education is seen as an unnecessary class. If daily exercise does not find its way into the high school curriculum soon, significant repercussion will affect the future health of Americans.

           

Works Cited

Athletic Training and Sports Medicine. Chicago: American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, 1984. Print.

Beyer, Robbi. “Restructuring the Secondary Physical Education Curriculum to Meet New Challenges.” Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance 01 Nov. 2008: 27. eLibrary. Web. 01 Apr. 2011.

Butler, Carolyn. “Generation Exercise.” Diabetes Forecast 01 Oct. 2008: 37. eLibrary. Web. 01 Apr. 2011.

Doolittle, Sarah. “Is the Extinction of High School Physical Education Inevitable?” Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance 01 Apr. 2007: 7. eLibrary. Web. 01 Apr. 2011.

Ennis, Catherine D. “On Their Own: Preparing Students for a Lifetime.” Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance 01 May. 2010: 17. eLibrary. Web. 01 Apr. 2011.

 “Fundamental Facts About Fitness.” World Book Science Year 01 Aug. 2009. eLibrary. Web. 01 Apr. 2011.

Goldman, Stuart. “Government Releases New Physical Activity Guidelines.” Fitness Business Pro 01 Nov. 2008 eLibrary. Web. 01 Apr. 2011.

Kahn P., Ada and Jan Fawcett. The Encyclopedia of Mental Health. New York: Facts on File, 1993. Print.

King, Ian and Lou Schuler. The Book of Muscle. New York: Rodale, 2003. Print.

Lalonde, Shirley B. “Three Good Reasons to Get Moving.” Listen Oct. 2004: 24. eLibrary. Web. 01 Apr. 2011.

Tecco, Betsy. “How Much Exercise Do You Need?” Current Health 2 01 Jan. 2003: 16. eLibrary. Web. 01 Apr. 2011.

Trost, Stewart G. “Active Education: Physical Education, Physical Activity and Academic Performance.” Active Living Research Fall 2007: 4. Google.com. Web. 18 Apr. 2011.

Witt, Louise. “Why We’re Losing the War Against Obesity.” American Demographics 01 Dec. 2003: 27. eLibrary. Web. 01 Apr. 2011.

Wynder, Ernst L. and Mario A. Orlandi. The American health Foundation Guide of Lifespan Health. New York: Dodd, Mean & Company, 1984. Print.