Unlocking the Comprehensive Benefits of Physical Education

Physical education (P.E.) plays a vital role in students' health, forcing them to be physically active in their adolescent years, which can greatly impact the rest of their lives. School education should not only be about intellectual learning, but it should also teach people about their own bodies and how to treat them. P.E. is a hands-on method of education that impacts the personal well-being of students more than other school subjects. From adolescence to adulthood, moving our bodies throughout the day can have positive effects on our sleep quality, memory, bone health, and more. Schools are in a unique position to help students get the daily recommended 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

Physical Health: Strengthening the Body and Reducing Disease Risk

Physical health is the most obvious benefit of physical education. An article published in the Journal of Preventative Medicine and Hygiene titled “Physical Activity for Health” states that regular physical activity strengthens the body’s functions and reduces the risk of various diseases. It improves quality of life and the way your body feels.

Heart disease and stroke are two leading causes of death in the United States. Getting at least 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity can put you at a lower risk for these diseases. You can reduce your risk even further with more physical activity. Regular physical activity can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is some combination of too much fat around the waist, high blood pressure, low high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol, high triglycerides, or high blood sugar.

As you age, it's important to protect your bones, joints, and muscles. Muscle strengthening is important for older adults who experience reduced muscle mass and muscle strength with aging. For older adults, doing a variety of physical activities improves physical function and decreases the risk of falls or injury from a fall. Older adults need to include aerobic, muscle strengthening, and balance activities in their physical activity routines. Hip fracture is a serious health condition that can result from a fall. Breaking a hip can have life-changing negative effects, especially if you're an older adult.

People who do little or no physical activity are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 than those who are physically active. More active people may be less likely to die from flu or pneumonia. Being physically active lowers your risk for developing several common cancers.

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Academic Performance: Boosting Cognitive Function and School Attendance

Physical activity can improve concentration, problem-solving, memory, and school attendance, which correlates with better grades and test scores in school. Some benefits of physical activity for brain health happen right after a session of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Benefits include improved thinking or cognition for children 6 to 13 and reduced short-term feelings of anxiety for adults. Regular physical activity can help keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you age.

Mental and Emotional Well-being: Relieving Stress and Improving Mood

Regular physical activity can relieve stress, anxiety, depression and anger. You know that feel-good sensation you get after doing something physical? Think of it as a happy pill with no side effects! Physical activity releases endorphins, the brain’s feel-good chemicals while reducing the stress hormones, such as cortisol. Exercise and physical activity are great ways to feel better, boost your health and have fun.

Weight Management: Balancing Activity and Healthy Eating

Both eating patterns and physical activity routines play critical roles in weight management. If you are not physically active, work your way up to 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity physical activity. This could be dancing or doing yard work. People vary greatly in how much physical activity they need for weight management. You will need a high amount of physical activity unless you also adjust your eating patterns and reduce the amount of calories you're eating and drinking. Healthy eating combined with regular physical activity help you get to-and stay at-a healthy weight.

Social Development: Fostering Communication and Teamwork

Physical activity can further interpersonal connections through sports, group activities, and teamwork. P.E.’s social environment prompts internal motivation and task-orientation. Student-to-student interactions are higher in a P.E. class than in the typical classroom, there are unique opportunities for interacting with peers.

Building Self-Esteem and Confidence

Physical activity provides room for achievement and athletic improvement. P.E. encourages students who are goal-oriented - whether they are athletically inclined or not - to participate. When P.E. caters to internal motivation, it becomes enjoyable for students. P.E. trains personal motivation and enjoyment in exercise. According to a study published in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine called “Analysis of Motivational Profiles of Satisfaction and Importance of Physical Education in High School Adolescents,” there is a level of satisfaction involved.

Promoting Lifelong Health and Longevity

Staying active helps delay or prevent chronic illnesses and diseases associated with aging. Physical activity may help you live longer, and those extra years are generally healthier years! Staying active is one of the best ways to keep our bodies healthy.

Too much sitting and other sedentary activities can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. Without regular activity, your body slowly loses its strength, stamina and ability to function properly. It’s like the old saying: You don’t stop moving from growing old; you grow old from stopping moving.

Guidelines and Recommendations for Physical Activity

The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity weekly. You can knock that out in just 30 minutes a day, five days a week. So, this is easy! Move more, with more intensity, and sit less. You don’t have to make big life changes to see the benefits.

Department of Health and Human Services recommends these exercise guidelines:

Aerobic activity. Get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity. Or get at least 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week. You also can get an equal combination of moderate and vigorous activity. Aim to spread out this exercise over a few days or more in a week. For even more health benefits, the guidelines suggest getting 300 minutes a week or more of moderate aerobic activity. Exercising this much may help with weight loss or keeping off lost weight. But even small amounts of physical activity can be helpful. Being active for short periods of time during the day can add up and have health benefits.
Strength training. Do strength training exercises for all major muscle groups at least two times a week. One set of each exercise is enough for health and fitness benefits. Use a weight or resistance level heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12 to 15 repetitions.

Moderate aerobic exercise includes activities such as brisk walking, biking, swimming and mowing the lawn. Vigorous aerobic exercise includes activities such as running, swimming laps, heavy yardwork and aerobic dancing. You can do strength training by using weight machines or free weights, your own body weight, heavy bags, or resistance bands. You also can use resistance paddles in the water or do activities such as rock climbing.

Taking more steps a day also helps lower the risk of premature death from all causes. In one study, for adults younger than 60, the risk of premature death leveled off at about 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day.

If you want to lose weight, keep off lost weight or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to exercise more. Remember to check with a health care professional before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have any concerns about your fitness or haven't exercised for a long time. Also check with a health care professional if you have chronic health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes or arthritis.

Integrating Physical Activity into the Classroom

Classrooms are not only a space to teach valuable skills, but to inspire healthy habits for a lifetime. Adding physical activity into the mix of education and day-to-day classroom activities has numerous benefits.

Here are some examples of activities that can be integrated into the classroom:

Ball tossing: With this activity, students can sit or stand in a circle while they take turns asking and answering questions, spelling, or learning new words.
Creative workstations or scavenger hunts: A simple yet interactive way to get students out of their seats. Hand out activity sheets and set up information-based workstations that lead them to each area around the class or school to find the answer.
Answer relays: While quizzing groups of students on previously learned information, break them into groups to see who can race the fastest to the front of the class and write the answer. Or have them write the answer on paper or a small whiteboard before they pass the item with the written answer up to the front of the class in a row.
Trashcan basketball or soccer: This is a great activity for healthy competition! Students can be broken up into singles, pairs, or larger teams while they answer fact-based questions to score points. Whether you try this out with a basketball hoop or just a trash can and a crumbled-up piece of construction paper-students are bound to have fun while moving their bodies.
Mindful exercises: In between lessons or at the end of a school day, promote stretch breaks.

Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAP)

Schools are in a unique position to help students get the daily recommended 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) provides details about its suggested Physical Education and Physical Activity Framework. This document outlines professional development opportunities and resources to help schools implement the framework. CDC worked with SHAPE America to create a step-by-step guide: Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs for schools and school districts. This physical activity program guide can help you develop new programs, evaluate programs, or improve existing programs. The guide can be helpful to an existing school health council or wellness committee, or to a new committee. This module is designed to help educators create and refine a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program.

The Importance of Physical Education

P.E. classes teach students to be active and help them adopt healthy activity habits. If organized properly, P.E. plays a very important role in students’ health. It forces students to be physically active in their adolescent years, which can greatly impact the rest of their lives.

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