Essay On Importance Of Physical Education

The Importance of Physical Activity and Nutrition Within the School System Physical education has always been a staple in the school system. Every child yearning for that thirty to forty-five-minute period to expel energy and have fun. However, over the years physical education has been pushed to the side as test scores in reading, math and science have become the priority. The importance of physical education and nutrition classes within the schools’ system can improve students learning and lower the risks of obesity and major diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Over several years, researchers have found that providing physical activity and health nutrition knowledge can have a lifelong healthy impact on students. Unfortunately,

It begins with movement, as it helps prepare the brain for optimal learning, by balancing brain chemicals, hormones, electricity and system functions. Without movement this balance steadily declines, thus fostering a less conducive learning state of mind. Developing coordination and balance through movement, is suggested to improve learning by challenging the vestibular, cerebellum and recticular activation systems, as these systems help with balance and convert thought into action producing coordinate movements. Another attribute of physical activity that helps learning, is its ability to aid with cognition. By becoming active this increase the flow of blood to the brain, thus increasing speed recall and reasoning skills. Physical Activity can also improve literacy skills, as in study by Stacie M Kirk and Erik P Kirk “Sixty Minutes of Physical Activity per Day Included Within Preschool Academic Lessons Improves Early Literacy” by providing physical activity, the continuous movement helps strengthen the eye by challenging it to constantly move and readjust focus. In doing so, the regular movement improve reading readiness and strengthens the muscles needed to follow characters on a page. By giving children the time to move and be active throughout their school day, also allows the students to release stress. As more pressure and knowledge are pushed onto children the more stress they carry. Providing physical activity is a great outlet for children to have to help relieve that building