Little1

Amanda Little

College Comp. 1

Mrs. Cramer

24 March, 2017

Physical Fitness Everyday?

How do you feel after completing something physically challenging? Some would say

exhausted and others would say rejuvenated, but regardless both are meant in a positive way.

Several people know that physical activity has plenty of benefits for students of all ages, as it

helps them settle and study during the school day and it improves their general academic

performance. The more obvious impact physical activity has on a student is their physical health.

Some argue that physical education interferes with the time needed for core classes and that it

contributes to violence in the school environment. But physical fitness has several more benefits

than it does negative outcomes. For multiple older active people, they feel as energized and

radiant as a young child.1 Fitting in time for physical activity in a adolescent's daily routine

would result in a larger percent of students coming out of school well rounded. Physical fitness

should be incorporated in all students' daily routine as it benefits both their mental health and

physical health; therefore, enhancing their potential in general.

One of the more obvious benefits of physical activity is physical health.

Cardiorespiratory capacity, muscular strength, and motor ability are all components of physical
1 A simile is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a
different kind.
 Little2

fitness that have potential to improve general health (Elsevier). People focus on the more popular

asset of physical fitness, which is a child's weight. Some people use the generalization that if

"gym class is eliminated, children will get fatter" (Cloud). An argument that is often brought up

is that gym class would "help reduce obesity across the country". While having gym class

everyday may help this factor of health, there are several other benefits that come along with

being active. It reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome,

strengthens bones and muscles, and improves overall mental health and mood (Elsevier). When

the body is being active, it releases chemicals called endorphins that react with the receptors in

the brain ("Exercise and Depression"). These endorphins trigger a positive feeling in the body.

This encourages one to work out more and keep an active lifestyle, as it improves their mood.

The more often someone exercises, the better they will feel both mentally and physically. This

would result in an increase positive students in the school environment.

Some argue that daily physical education can contribute to violence in schools. Sean M.

Brooks, a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, claims that not only is physical

education today misguided, it also "contributes to the greatest threat to American schools, which

is violence" (Brooks). Due to this, children are choosing to take gym class online because active

gym class in school increases insecurity among them (Brooks). It is the schools' responsibility to

introduce physical activity into a child's daily routine so that getting exercise can become a habit.

If adolescents and young adults had physical fitness in their everyday routine, they would

become accustomed to it and develop a love for being active. This way, as mentioned before, the

body can release endorphins that interact with the brain. These endorphins are proven to actually

improve and bolster self esteem ("Exercise and Depression"). If a child is self conscious about an

aspect of their body or themselves, exercise would do nothing but benefit them in multiple ways.
 Little3

It is up to the child to better themselves. Placing the blame of students being insecure on a class

does not make sense, as it is the student themselves who feel this way. Exercise triggers a

positive and liberating feeling in the body, accompanied by a positive outlook on life ("Exercise

and Depression"). Claiming that physical fitness contributes to violence and bullying is a

generalization, as it has more benefits than it does consequences.

Daily physical activity in a students routine has a positive impact on both their motor

skills and general academic success. A recent study showed that children who absorb and retain

information more effectively were physically fit, while the children who struggle more were out

of shape (Reynolds). Both parents and physical scientists alike agree that a child who is active is

more likely to be settled and focused during class and attentive, therefore their academic

performance improves. A representative study revealed that fourth and fifth grade students who

exercised vigorously for ten minutes before a math test scored higher than children who had

done the opposite and sat quietly before the exam (Reynolds). Another study at the University of

Illinois at Urbana-Champaign addressed the question of what ways physical fitness might affect

how children learn. The results of testing children who were both fit and out of shape revealed

that the children who were in superior aerobic condition significantly outperformed the less fit

group (Reynolds). This discovery suggests that "higher levels of physical fitness have their

greatest impact in the most challenging situations" (Reynolds). Without students having the

opportunity to be active and expend energy, they may have a difficult time paying attention and

performing well in their core classes.

Some say that having mandatory gym class everyday in school would cut valuable time

that could be used for core classes. Officials argue that gym class really has "no meaningful place

in the curriculum"(Chen). But various studies have proven that physical fitness contributes to
 Little4

better performance in classes throughout the school day. As said before, a study was conducted

where some students were moving around before a math test and others were told to sit stagnant.

The ones who scored higher on the exam were the students who exercised for ten minutes before

taking the test (Reynolds). The National Association for Sport and Physical Education states that

gym class during the day can help students develop fine and gross motor skills, learn cooperation

and teamwork, reduce stress, and improve self confidence and self esteem (Chen). Without

physical fitness, students generally would not perform as well academically, thus impacting their

success for "more important" core classes. Physical fitness in a daily routine would help students

develop into well-rounded adolescents and young adults.

Coming of age is a difficult thing to go through, and it is easy to get off track and focus

on one aspect more than the other. Some students may be more involved in academics, and

others could be more involved in sports. Either way, it should be a school's goal to help their

students develop into well-rounded adults. Eliminating gym class would be a step backwards

from achieving this goal2. Being active more frequently would improve mental health and would

boost a child's self confidence, not do the opposite as some argue. Physical fitness benefits

children in their academics. It helps them become calm and focused, thus improving their scores

and their performance in all core classes. If gym class was cut from a child's daily schedule, it

would have more of a negative impact on both the child's mental health and physical health. It

could also decrease their scores in their core classes, as they would not have had a chance to

expend energy causing them to lose focus in class. Being active daily has been proven to reduce

stress, improve sleep, boost self-esteem, and ward of anxiety and feelings of depression

2 A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action

to which it is not literally applicable.
 Little5

("Exercise and Depression"). Physical fitness breathes life and positivity into anyone's daily

routine3, and therefore should be encouraged in any young or old student's typical day.

3 A personification is a human characteristics given to something non human.

 Little6

Works Cited

Brooks, Sean. "Why Physical Education Contributes to Violence in School." Edutopia (2017): 1-

2. Print.

Chen, Grace. "The Pros and Cons of Mandatory Gym Class in Public Schools."

PublicSchoolReview.com. N.p., 21 June 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.

Cloud, John. "Effects of Daily Physical Education on Physical Fitness and Weight Status in

Middle School Adolescents." Journal of School Health 85 (2014): 27-34. Web.

Elsevier. "Improving Academic Performance with Physical Fitness." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily,

n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.

"Exercise and Depression." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.

Reynolds, Gretchen. "How Physical Fitness May Promote School Success." The New York Times

(2017): 1-3. Print.