Can short "bursts" of activity during the school day really make a difference in children's health? Once again research shows the answer is YES. When it comes to adults, the answer is yes as well. Thanks to Dr. David Katz once again for sharing great research! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2901580/
The research points out that sadly, childhood fitness has been declining, despite the previously documented, wide-ranging benefits of healthy exercise for children. There have been calls for school exercise programs extending back many decades - I recently came across a speech given by JFK in 1960 promoting the necessity of childhood fitness as a national security concern:
http://armymedicine.mil/Documents/Panel%20C%20-%201960-Kennedy-Soft-American.pdf
Prophetic words from 1960:
"For 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. Much is not yet understood. But we do know what the Greeks knew: that intelligence and skill can only function at the peak of their capacity when the
body is healthy and strong; that hardy spirits and tough minds usually inhabit sound bodies.
In this sense, physical fitness is the basis of all the activities of our society. And if our bodies grow soft and inactive, if we fail to encourage physical development and prowess, we will undermine our capacity for thought, for work and for the use of those skills vital to an expanding and complex America."
The new research tested a program called ABC (Activity Bursts in the Classroom) for Fitness, a strategy which uses short, structured activity breaks throughout the school day, led by classroom teachers. The results are impressive: fitness improved in children's strength (upper body and core abdominal strength in particular.) Even more impressive - asthma and ADHD improved so much that medication use declined!
So what exactly were they doing? From the article: "ABC for Fitness aims to provide fun and creative activities that are noncompetitive, age-appropriate, and gender-neutral to promote an interest in physical activity among children and increase their behavioral capacity.... The program was flexible; activity intensity could be raised or lowered according to the athletic abilities and attention spans of the students. The program was intended as a supplement to physical education programs. Ideally, the activity bursts added at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity."
The sessions had three parts: 1) warmup with light aerobic activity such as walking, arm circles, stretching; 2) strength-building activities such as squats, lunges, dancing; 3) cool-down similar to the warmup, with lower intensity activity and stretches.
The number of sessions per day, length of sessions, and types of activities varied based on the teachers' and students' needs and choices. Teachers also had options to incorporate the activities to promote learning in other topics, such as science, math, health, social studies, music, and language arts. Families and parents were also included in the program, helping families to be more active together. You can access the teaching materials here: http://www.davidkatzmd.com/abcforfitness.aspx
Can short bursts of activity help adults as well? The answer is also yes!
"43 percent of people who participated in bouts of 10 minutes or less of physical activity multiple times during the day — the so-called "active lifestyle" approach — met federal guidelines for being active... also they fared as well as people who exercised for longer stretches in key measures of health, such as C-reactive protein, blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, waist circumference and metabolic syndrome." Link to the reserch article: http://ajhpcontents.org/doi/abs/10.4278/ajhp.110916-QUAN-348 "THE SCIENCE OF LIFESTYLE CHANGE: Association Between Biologic Outcomes and Objectively Measured Physical Activity Accumulated in ≥10-Minute Bouts and <10-Minute Bouts".
Of course exercise is just one component of health, and healthy weight control. You can read my prior blog on the 6 M's of Exercise: http://healthyweightcenter.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-6-ms-of-exercise-health-and-weight.html Healthy nutrition, and healthy lifestyle including quality sleep, stress management, and life planning and organizing (and SIMPLIFYING), are key components of a healthy, happy life. If you would like some help setting up a great routine - and some support and accountability to stay on track - call us any time: (603) 379-6500. Read more about our program at healthyweightcenter.com .
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