# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Regular exercise has been shown to help boost energy levels and enhance your mood. It may also be associated with many other health benefits, including a reduced risk of chronic disease.

Exercise is defined as any movement that makes your muscles work and requires your body to burn calories.

There are many types of physical activity, including swimming, running, and walking, to name a few.

Being active has been shown to have many health benefits, both physically and mentally. It may even help you live longer.

Here are the top 10 ways regular exercise benefits your body and brain.

Exercise has been shown to improve your mood and decrease feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress.

The authors of a 2019 review found that 10-30 minutes of exercise is enough to improve your mood.

Exercise may increase brain sensitivity to serotonin and norepinephrine. These hormones relieve feelings of depression. It may also increase the production of endorphins, which help produce positive feelings and reduce the perception of pain.

Stopping to exercise may also affect your mood. A 2017 review found that active people who stopped exercising regularly experienced significant increases in symptoms of depression and anxiety, even after only a few weeks.

Inactivity may play a major factor in weight gain and obesity, which may lead to health complications. Exercise can help you manage your weight by helping with energy expenditure, also known as spending.

Your body spends energy in three ways:

digesting food

exercising

maintaining body functions, like your heartbeat and breathing

A reduced calorie intake may lower your metabolic rate, which can temporarily delay weight loss. However, regular exercise may your metabolic rate. This can burn more calories and help you manage your weight.

Combining aerobic exercise with resistance training may also maximize fat loss and muscle mass maintenance. This could help you manage weight, maintain lean muscle, and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Exercise plays a vital role in building and maintaining strong muscles and bones.

As people age, they tend to lose muscle mass, strength, and function. This leads to an increased risk of injury. Practicing regular physical activity is essential to reducing muscle loss and maintaining strength as you age.

Exercise also helps build bone density. The authors of a 2022 review found that regular exercise significantly improved bone density in the lumbar spine, neck, and hip bones. This may help prevent osteoporosis later in life.

Impact exercises like gymnastics, running, or soccer may help higher bone density than no-impact sports like swimming and cycling.

Exercise can help boost your energy levels while helping to reduce fatigue. This may help as a treatment method if you have certain health conditions, such as cancer.

Aerobic exercise boosts your cardiovascular system and improves lung health, which may help with energy levels.

Your heart pumps more blood as you move, delivering more oxygen to your working muscles. With regular exercise, your heart becomes more efficient at moving oxygen into your blood.

Over time, exercise results in less demand on your lungs. This is one of the reasons why you may find yourself getting less and less out of breath during exercise, according to the American Lung Association.

Regular physical activity is a in reducing your risk of chronic diseases, such as:

Your skin can be affected by the amount of oxidative stress in your body.

Oxidative stress occurs when your body's antioxidant defenses cannot completely repair the cell damage caused by compounds known as free radicals. This can damage the structure of the cells and negatively impact your skin.

Intense and exhaustive physical activity may contribute to oxidative damage. However, a 2018 review suggests that regular moderate exercise may actually help alleviate the stress caused by free radicals.

The authors of a 2021 review concluded that regular exercise may help delay the appearance of skin aging, prevent psoriasis, and improve venous leg ulcers.

Exercise can improve brain function and protect your memory and thinking skills.

To begin with, exercise increases your heart rate. This promotes the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain. It can also stimulate the production of hormones that enhance the growth of brain cells.

For example, exercise has to cause the hippocampus to grow in size, which may help improve mental function. This is part of the brain that's vital for memory and learning.

Regular physical activity is important in older adults because it can help the physiological effects of aging in your brain. It may also help reduce changes in the brain that can contribute to conditions like Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Regular exercise can relax and sleep better.

It may help improve your sleep quality because the energy loss that occurs during exercise stimulates restorative processes during sleep.

Also, the increase in your body temperature during exercise may help it during sleep, which could promote better sleep.

A conducted over 4 months in people with chronic insomnia found that both stretching and resistance exercise helped improve sleep quality and duration while decreasing the amount of time it takes to fall asleep.

Chronic pain can be debilitating. For many years, the recommendation for treating chronic pain was rest and inactivity.

However, the authors of a 2021 review suggest that aerobic exercise may serve as a natural treatment option to provide pain relief and improve quality of life.

One way that exercise may help prevent or reduce chronic pain is because it increases your pain tolerance over time.

Exercise may also help you control pain associated with various health conditions, including:

chronic low back pain

fibromyalgia

chronic soft tissue shoulder disorder

Regular exercise may help improve your sex life.

For example, engaging in regular exercise can strengthen your heart, improve blood circulation, tone muscles, and enhance flexibility, all of which may help improve your sex life.

A 2018 review of 10 studies found that exercising for at least 160 minutes per week over a 6-month period could help improve erectile function in males.

Another 2018 review suggests that regular exercise may help improve sexual satisfaction, arousal, and well-being in females. Regular resistance training may also help increase sex drive.

Which exercise can you do every day?

It's important to let your body recover between intense resistance and cardiovascular exercise sessions. That said, there are some less intense exercises you can do every day to help you get to 300 minutes per week. These may include walking, cycling, dancing, and skateboarding.

What exercises are good for belly fat?

According to the British Heart Foundation, you can't target one specific area of fat to burn off. But, a consistent mixture of aerobic exercise, resistance training, and eating a well-balanced diet can help you burn fat all over your body. Some exercises include swimming, yoga, running, strength training, and rock climbing.

Exercise offers incredible benefits that can improve nearly every aspect of your health. Regular physical activity can increase the production of hormones that make you feel happier and help you sleep better.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends you aim for 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity throughout the week.

Moderate-intensity aerobic activity is anything that gets your heart beating faster, like walking, cycling, or swimming. Activities like running or participating in a fitness class count for vigorous intensity.

You can use weights, resistance bands, or your body weight to perform muscle-strengthening exercises.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Exercise: The Top 10 Benefits of Regular Physical Activity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Exercising regularly has many benefits for your body and brain. This article explores the top 10 benefits of regular exercise, all based on science.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A team filled with the best players in the league who communicates poorly will flounder in mediocrity, while a team filled with run-of-the-mill players who communicates flawlessly will be contenders every year. Effective communication in sports is an absolute essential trait that quality teams must have to be successful, from the coaches, to team leaders, all the way down to the role players. Everybody must be on the same page.

The Individual

Everyone has a unique personality type. This personality type can be identified by taking a Myers-Briggs personality test, which was developed based on theories put forth by Carl Jung in his 1921 book "Psychological Types." One player may naturally feel motivated after a disciplinary action, while another may naturally feel shunned and demotivated. Every individual on the team, regardless of their role, has to be understood on a motivational level, and all communication from there on must be based on their personality type. A quarterback may need to communicate differently to each of the 10 people on his offense.

Off the Field

Off the field is when players and teams get better, not on an execution level, but on a camaraderie level. Often, it's in the locker room that you learn the most about your teammates. Talking about past experiences, things you like to do during downtime and family history can help you understand that person better. That way, you know what things to say, and what not to say, when trying to motivate them on the field. Many professional players have problems retiring, not because they miss playing the game on the field, but because they miss the time spent with their teammates between games.

On the Field

Unlike off the field communication, effective communication on the field varies considerably from sport to sport. For example, in football there is constant communication going on. From coaches calling plays into the players on the field, to players making adjustments and calling out blocking schemes; however, in baseball communication is minimal at best. In fact, most players on the field are acting purely on their training and instinct after the bat makes contact with the ball.

Non-Verbal

According to the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, 70 percent of human communication is non-verbal. In some sports, this number is even higher. Many times hand signals and a series of signs are used to indicate what a player is supposed to do on the field. Thus, making sure that every player has memorized every possible signal, and ensuring that the signals are complicated and varied enough so that other team can't pick up on them easily, are extremely important aspects to effectively communicating during sports.

Time Frame

Great teams are not formed overnight. Sometimes it takes years of players molding together to form a solid bond of communication, verbal and non-verbal, before the team can communicate and execute seamlessly on the field. To help expedite the process, coaches often arrange for a portion of every practice to be solely dedicated to communication. For example, in football it's standard for practice to include positional breakouts in practice, allowing quarterbacks and receivers to practice hot routes and audibles together with and without words.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A team filled with the best players in the league who communicates poorly will flounder in mediocrity, while a team filled with run-of-the-mill players who communicates flawlessly will be contenders every year. Effective communication in sports is an absolute essential trait that quality teams must have to be successful, from the coaches, to team leaders, all the way down to the role players.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Communication is the art of successfully sharing meaningful information with people by means of an interchange of experience

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you are considering a career in sports administration, it is a good idea to think about what drew you to sports in the first place. Perhaps it was the hard work and physical conditioning, or maybe the fun and excitement of the game. For many, playing sports is attractive because of the social interaction: being part of a team working toward a common goal. The desire to be part of a community is an important aspect of human nature, and communication is perhaps the most important part of developing a healthy community.

The same is true in a sporting community. Research shows that developing good communication between coaches and players results in better, more effective teams. In addition, healthy communication -- both internal and with the public -- has been shown to be vital to creating successful business environments. These are some of a sports organization administrator's most important responsibilities. While earning an online master's degree in sports administration, candidates will study the nuances of communication in sports and how it relates to effective leadership.

Generally put, communication involves people interacting with one another to convey information. The most obvious form of communication is linguistic (expressing oneself verbally or in writing), but body language, behavioral mannerisms and many other interpersonal signals are also forms of communication.

When thinking about communication in sports, the available methods can seem very specific. A quarterback uses a nod of the head to indicate which direction the receiver should cut. The coach calls a play using a series of gestures known only to his or her team. Although these forms of communication may seem particular to the game, they are analogous to non-verbal cues people use in everyday life. A nod or shake of the head, a thumbs up, or any other motion or gesture that people use to convey something to someone else are all similar types of non-verbal communication. As far as interpersonal verbal communication goes, clear and constructive communication between players, coaches, administrators, parents and others involved with a team parallels positive communication in any other organization -- like a business.

Many studies have shown the benefits of good communication in competitive athletics. Players who know how to effectively interact with each other will work together better, forming a stronger overall team. However, learning to communicate one's thoughts and feelings clearly and effectively without hurting or offending others can take time. Fostering this knowledge in players is primarily the responsibility of the team's coach. Workshops in effective communication are a part of many successful athletic programs, and coaches who communicate openly with their athletes can model effective interaction by speaking directly, listening attentively and valuing others' opinions. Positive communication in sports can also benefit from common practices like pre-game meetings, when the team and coaching staff can come together to give feedback, discuss strategies and set goals for the day.

Administrators have many responsibilities in sports organizations, as they have a hand in overseeing every aspect of their organizations. Most of these aspects involve communication, including coordinating and monitoring the coaching staff, making budgets with financial planners, interviewing prospective employees and athletes, and meeting with investors, owners, or officials. Improving the communication of the staff and management of any business has been shown to maximize productivity and improve employee morale. This can result in a more successful business with higher retention rates.

Another important aspect of administrative communication in sports is an organization's public relations with parents, media and fans. Administrators need to work hard to develop good relationships based on clear and constructive communication with parents in the collegiate and high school settings. In professional sports, interactions with the media and fans are integral. New research shows that an authentic and genuine connection with fans through various forms of communication, including social media, plays an important role as well.

The importance of communication in sports is clear to researchers -- it is integral to successful sports organizations. Teams that promote positive communication and respect among players improve overall motivation. Coaches who learn to communicate effectively with their athletes can deliver positive feedback and constructive criticism in ways that actually influence players' performance.

Similarly, administrators who support open interaction in the workplace create positive working environments, which can result in more effective organizations. Communicating directly and positively with the public through every available channel (including traditional and social media) fosters public support and the personal connections organizations need to build committed fan-bases. By pursuing a master's degree in sports administration, you can develop the communication skills necessary to administrate effectively and lead others by example.
Learn more about Arkansas State University's Online Master of Science in Sport Administration.
Sources:

Communication & Sport: Communication and Sport, Where Art Thou? Epistemological Reflections on the Moment and Field(s) of Play

Human Kinetics: Communication Vital for Team Success

Human Kinetics: What Communication Means for a Coach

Athlete Assessments: Importance of Communication in Sports

Journal of Applied Psychology: The Preliminary Development of the Scale for Effective Communication in Team Sports (SECTS)

Sport Marketing Quarterly: Attracting Facebook 'Fans': The Importance of Authenticity and Engagement as a Social Networking Strategy for Professional Sport Teams

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Importance of Communication in Sports

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Playing sports is attractive because of the social interaction: being part of a team working toward a common goal. The desire to be part of a community is an important aspect of human nature, and communication is perhaps the most important part of developing a healthy community.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Badminton is a sport that has been around since the 16th century. The sport is played indoors and the pinnacle comes from its Olympic events. The sport is very popular in Asian countries such as China and India with these countries leading the way by producing some of the world's best players.

Object of the Game

The object of badminton is to hit the shuttlecock over the net and have it land in the designated court areas. If your opponent manages to return the shuttlecock then a rally occurs. If you win this rally i.e. force your opponent to hit the shuttlecock out or into the net then you win a point. You are required to win 21 points to win a set with most matches being best of 3 sets. Points can be won on either serve.

Players & Equipment

There are two forms of badminton, singles and doubles (it's also possible to play mixed doubles). Each player is allowed to use a stringed racket (similar to a tennis racket but with the head being smaller) and a shuttlecock. The shuttlecock is made up of half round ball at the bottom and a feather like material surrounding the top. You can only really hit the bottom of the shuttlecock and as gravity comes into play will always revert the ball side facing down. You may only hit the shuttlecock once before it either hits the ground or goes over the net.

The court measures 6.1m wide and 13.4m long. Across the middle of the rectangular court is a net which runs at 1.55m. Running along each side of the court are two tram lines. The inside lines are used as the parameter for singles match whilst the outside line is used for a doubles match.

Scoring

A point is scored when you successfully hit the shuttlecock over the net and land it in your opponent's court before they hit it. A point can also be gained when your opponent hits the shuttlecock into either the net or outside the parameters.

Winning the Game

To win a game you must reach 21 points before your opponent. If you do so then you will have won that set. If the scores are tied at 20-20 then it comes down to whichever player manages to get two clear points ahead. If the points are still tied at 29-29 then the next point will decide the winner of the set. Winning the overall game will require you to win 2 out of the 3 sets played.

Rules of Badminton

A game can take place with either two (singles) or four (doubles) players.

An official match has to be played indoors on the proper court dimensions. The dimensions are 6.1m by 13.4m, The net is situated through the middle of the court and is set at 1.55m.

To score a point the shuttlecock must hit within the parameters of the opponents court.

If the shuttlecock hits the net or lands out then a point is awarded to your opponent.

Players must serve diagonally across the net to their opponent. As points are won then serving stations move from one side to the other. There are no second serves so if your first serve goes out then your opponent wins the point.

A serve must be hit underarm and below the servers waist. No overarm serves are allowed.

Each game will start with a toss to determine which player will serve first and which side of the court the opponent would like to start from.

Once the shuttlecock is 'live' then a player may move around the court as they wish. They are permitted to hit the shuttlecock from out of the playing area.

If a player touches the net with any part of their body or racket then it is deemed a fault and their opponent receives the point.

A fault is also called if a player deliberately distracts their opponent, the shuttlecock is caught in the racket then flung, the shuttlecock is hit twice or if the player continues to infract with the laws of badminton.

Each game is umpired by a referee on a high chair who overlooks the game. There are also line judges who monitor if the shuttlecock lands in or not. The referee has overriding calls on infringements and faults.

Let may be called by the referee if an unforeseen or accidental circumstance arose. These may include the shuttlecock getting stuck in the bet, server serving out of turn, one player was not ready or a decision which is too close to call.

The game has only two rest periods coming the form of a 90 second rest after the first game and a 5 minute rest period after the second game.

If the laws are continuously broken by a player then the referee holds the power to dock that player of points with persisting fouls receiving a forfeit of the set or even the match.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Badminton Rules Photo credit: Agência Brasil (source) Badminton is a sport that has been around since the 16th century. The sport is played indoors and the pinnacle comes from its Olympic events. The sport is very popular in Asian countries such as C...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If the first serve is a fault, the server must serve again without delay from behind

the same half of the court from which that fault was served, unless the serve was

from the wrong half.

The serve is a let if:

1. The served ball touches the net, strap or band, and lands in the correct court.

2. The served ball touches the net, strap or band and then touches the receiver, the receiver's partner or anything they wear or carry before hitting the ground.

3. The ball is served when the receiver is not ready.

When it is a let serve, that particular serve does not count and the server shall serve again. However a let serve does not cancel the previous fault.

The serve is a fault if:

1. The server foot faults; see foot fault rules here.

2. The server misses the ball when trying to hit it.

3. The ball touches a permanent fixture, singles stick or net post before hitting the ground.

4. After serving the ball touches the server's partner, or touches anything the server is wearing or carrying.

It is not a fault if the server tosses the ball in the air and then decides to catch it.

During the service motion, a server may not:

1. Change position by walking or running. Although slight movements of the feet are allowed.

2. Touch the baseline, or the court, with either foot.

3. Touch the area on the other side of an imaginary extension of the sideline.

4. Touch the imaginary extension of the center mark with either foot.

If the server commits any of these actions, a foot fault may be ruled.

Before the service motion, the server must stand at rest, with both feet behind the baseline (in between the center mark and the sideline). The server then releases the ball by hand and must hit it before the ball reaches the ground. The service motion is complete once the racket either hits or misses the ball. A player who only has the use of one arm may use the racket to toss the ball.

The server alternates serving from the two halves of the court. In both a standard game, and tie-break game, the server begins by serving from the right half of the court. The serve must pass over the net and hit the service court that is diagonally opposite the server, before the receiver may return it.

The players, or teams, stand on opposite sides of the court. The server is the one who puts the ball into play for the first point. The receiver is the player who is ready to return the ball put into play by the server.

Whichever team is due to receive in the first game must decide which partner will receive the first point of the game. For the second point, the other partner will receive and this rotation will happen for the rest of the game and the set. When the other team receives serve in the second game this same pattern will happen; the team decides who receives first and who receives second and this rotation will happen for the rest of the game and the set. Bear in mind that after the receiver has returned the ball, either player can hit the ball.

In competitive play, one player of a doubles team is not allowed to play alone against opponents.

Singles: After each game the receiver then becomes the server.

Doubles: The team that is due to serve in the 1 st game of each set decides which player will serve for that game. In the second game of each set the opponents get to decide which player will serve first. The partner of the player who served in the 1 st game then serves in the 3 rd game. The partner of the player who served in the 2 nd game then serves in the 4 th game and this rotation continues until the end of the set.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If the first serve is a fault, the server must serve again without delay from behind the same half of the court from which that fault was served, unless the serve was from the wrong half. The serve is a let if: The served ball touches the net, strap or band, and lands in the correct court.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic.

The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents.

Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed.

This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Read "Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School" at NAP.edu

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you have fewer than 10 players, half court pickup basketball can develop your fundamental skills as much as a full court game. Unlike full court games that allow for a change of possession after each score because each team shoots at a different basket, half court basketball requires that both teams shoot on the same basket. Unlike a regular full court game, there is no jump ball. Possession is determined when a designated player from one team "shoots for it." If that player makes it, his team gets the ball.

Taking It back

Full court basketball allows a team to get a rebound and dribble the ball down the floor to their side of the court. Since both teams are sharing the same basket in a half court game, the ball should be "taken back" after each missed shot when the ball changes possession. If you rebound out, dribble it past the foul line or the three-point line to clear it and begin your possession. Depending on who you're playing with, the ball may not need to be cleared if a shot does not hit the rim.

Make It, Take It

In a half court game, you can choose to play make it, take it. If your team scores, you get to keep the basketball until you turn the ball over or you miss a basket and the other team rebounds. Depending on competition level, some players choose to alternate possessions after every made basket.

Checking it up

After a made basket or a dead ball situation, check the ball at the top of the foul line area by passing it to the defensive player. He will toss the ball back to you, indicating that the ball is in play. In most cases, the offensive player who checks the ball cannot make a move without first passing the ball in to one of his teammates.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you have fewer than 10 players, half court pickup basketball can develop your fundamental skills as much as a full court game. Unlike full court games that allow for a change of possession after each score because each team shoots at a different basket, half court basketball requires that both teams shoot on the same basket.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
PEC: Lesson Plans for Physical Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
PE Central is a web site that provides information about developmentatally appropriate physical education practices and programs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What are school-based programs to increase physical activity?

School-based programs to increase physical activity can include programs to enhance physical education (PE) [1,2], provide daily recess,[3], incorporate physical activity into regular classroom lessons[4] and offer before and after school programs.[5] Physical education may be expanded by increasing the length of PE classes and increasing the number and types of fitness activities during PE classes.[1,2] Recess can help students get more physical activity to help them achieve the recommended 60 minutes of activity every day.Physical activity also may be incorporated into classrooms through physically active academic lessons or activity breaks.[6] Coordination between school day and before/after school program staff and administrators can help provide students with consistent messaging and opportunities related to physical activity while they are on school grounds. Programs may be combined with other school- and community-based interventions such as health education about physical activity, activities that foster family involvement, and community partnerships to increase opportunities for physical activity.[1,7]

Changes to the school day to increase opportunities for physical activity can be adopted and implemented at the state-level or at the local school district level.[1,2,8] An example of a state moving towards this goal is Mississippi, where staff and administrators made improvements to school health environments across the state, including adding walking trails to school campuses, integrating five-minute movement breaks into the classroom, implementing fitness assessments, and adding an additional 15 minutes of physical activity at the beginning of each school day.

The purpose of these school-based programs is to increase students' physical activity levels, and thereby help improve their fitness levels, help them maintain a healthy weight, and potentially improve their health outcomes over time.[1,2,4]

What's the public health issue?

Physical activity is an important contributor to overall health, and engaging in regular physical activity can decrease the risk for numerous adverse health outcomes, including hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.[9,10] Physical activity also is an important factor in achieving a healthy weight and maintaining it over time.[9] In 2008 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended that young people aged 6-17 years participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily.[9] In its 2012 report, HHS recommended that programs in school settings should be included as a key component of strategies to increase physical activity and address childhood obesity.[11] However, in 2017, only 26 percent of high school students surveyed had participated in at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day during the week before the survey, and only 30 percent attended physical education class daily while in school.[12]

What is the evidence of health impact and cost effectiveness?

Multiple systematic reviews of school-based programs to increase physical activity have found that these interventions are associated with increased physical activity among students. [1,13-15] Reviews also found evidence that these interventions are associated with positive effects on BMI [13] and obesity prevention.[16]

A 2017 benefit-cost analysis by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) on school-based programs to increase physical activity found that they were associated with a positive benefit to cost ratio.[17] The WSIPP analysis estimated that elementary or middle school programs that added additional physical activity to the school day for students could result in a benefits to cost ratio of approximately $33.28 over a lifetime (in 2016 dollars, the base year for this analysis).[18] These benefits were calculated from decreased health care costs due to reductions in obesity and increased labor market earnings due to the positive impact of physical activity on academic achievement.

For questions or additional information, email healthpolicynews@cdc.gov.

1. The Guide to Community Preventive Services. Behavioral and social approaches to increase physical activity: Enhanced school-based physical education. The Community Guide: What Works to Promote Health 2013; Available at: http://www.thecommunityguide.org/pa/behavioral-social/schoolbased-pe.htmlexternal icon . Accessed September 6, 2018.

2. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. County health rankings & roadmaps: School-based physical education. 2014; Available at: http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/policies/school-based-physical-educationexternal icon . Accessed September 6, 2018.

3. Institute of Medicine. Educating the student body: Taking physical activity and physical education to school. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press;2013. Available at: https://doi.org/10.17226/18314external icon .

4. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. County health rankings & roadmaps: Physically active classrooms. 2015; Available at: http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/policies/physically-active-classroomsexternal icon . Accessed September 6, 2018.

5. McCombs J, Whitaker A, PY Yoo. The value of out-of-school time programs. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation;2017. Available at: https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PE267.htmlexternal icon .

6. Donnelly JE, Lambourne K. Classroom-based physical activity, cognition, and academic achievement. Preventive medicine. 2011;52:S36-S42.

7. Centers for Disease Control Prevention. School health guidelines to promote healthy eating and physical activity. MMWR Recommendations and reports: Morbidity and mortality weekly report Recommendations and reports/Centers for Disease Control. 2011;60(RR-5):1.

8. Slater SJ, Nicholson L, Chriqui J, Turner L, Chaloupka F. The impact of state laws and district policies on physical education and recess practices in a nationally representative sample of us public elementary schools. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2012;166(4):311-316.

9. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical activity guidelines for americans. In: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ed2008.

10. Centers for Disease Control Prevention. Barriers to children walking to or from school-united states, 2004. MMWR: Morbidity and mortality weekly report. 2005;54(38):949-952.

11. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Midcourse Report Subcommittee of the President's Council on Fitness SN. Physical activity guidelines for americans midcourse report: Strategies to increase physical activity among youth. In: Services USDoHaH, ed. Washington D.C.2012.

12. Kann L, McManus T, Harris W, et al. Youth risk behavior surveillance - united states, 2017. MMWR Surveillance Summaries. 2018;67(No. SS-8):1-114.

13. Demetriou Y, Höner O. Physical activity interventions in the school setting: A systematic review. Psychology of sport and exercise. 2012;13(2):186-196.

14. Dobbins M, Husson H, DeCorby K, LaRocca RL. School-based physical activity programs for promoting physical activity and fitness in children and adolescents aged 6 to 18. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013(2):CD007651.

15. Norris E, Shelton N, Dunsmuir S, Duke-Williams O, Stamatakis E. Physically active lessons as physical activity and educational interventions: A systematic review of methods and results. Preventive medicine. 2015;72:116-125.

16. Wang Y, Cai L, Wu Y, et al. What childhood obesity prevention programmes work? A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Obesity Reviews. 2015;16(7):547-565.

17. Washington State Institute for Public Policy. Benefit-cost technical documentation: Washington state institute for public policy benefit-cost model. Washington State Dec 2017. Available at: http://wsipp.wa.gov/TechnicalDocumentation/WsippBenefitCostTechnicalDocumentation.pdfpdf icon external icon .

18. Washington State Institute for Public Policy. Benefit-cost results Washington State Dec 2017. Available at: http://wsipp.wa.gov/BenefitCost/Program/574external icon .

Page last reviewed:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
office of the associate director for policy and strategy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
School-based Programs to Increase Physical Activity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
School-based programs to increase physical activity can include programs to enhance physical education (PE) [1,2] , provide daily recess,[3], incorporate physical activity into regular classroom lessons[4] and offer before and after school programs.[5] Physical education may be expanded by increasing the length of PE classes and increasing the number and

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sleep and Health | Healthy Schools | CDC

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sleep helps students stay focused, improve concentration, and academic performance. Not getting enough sleep leads to a higher risk for obesity, diabetes, poor mental health, and injuries.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
How Physical Education in Schools Benefits Students

by Saul Wagner

Physical Education in Schools Boosts Academic Performance

The benefits of physical education in schools are far-reaching, including both increased student physical health and better academic performance. Conversely, a lack of physical activity among youth is known to increase the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and more. By promoting physical education (P.E.) in schools, educators are in a prime position to help students establish life-long healthy behavior patterns and boost scholastic success.

Physical Activity Benefits

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends 60 minutes of daily physical activity for youth aged 6-17 years, while research shows that behavior habits established during childhood often prevail into adulthood. Regular physical activity during youth is known to have the following benefits:

Builds healthy bones

Improves strength and endurance

Reduces stress and anxiety

Helps control weight/reduces the risk of obesity

Improves blood pressure and cholesterol levels

Reduces feelings of depression

Boosts self-esteem

Promotes psychological well-being

Effects of Physical Education on Learning

In addition, physical education in schools has been shown to have positive effects upon learning, including:

Increased concentration

Increased attentiveness in class

Better grades

Better behavior

Student Participation in P.E. Classes

Yet despite the inherent rewards, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that participation in physical education classes among students has been steadily declining, with only 24% of grade 12 students attending physical education classes, down from only 41% of grade 9 students. This is especially troubling given that insufficient physical activity is one of the top health risk behaviors contributing to adolescent and teenage death and injury, along with tobacco, drug, and alcohol use, unhealthy diet, and injurious/violent behaviors.

On the positive side, research studies show that a mere 20 minutes of walking affects brain functioning, helping to stimulate students' minds and improve academic success. Not only has a strong correlation been found between high fitness scores and high academic scores, but children who participate in P.E. are more likely to remain active during after-school hours.

How to Promote Physical Education in Children

The following are some of the ways educators can promote physical education both inside and outside the classroom:

Incorporate classroom-based physical activities

Encourage physical activities during recess

Provide physical education taught by a qualified PE teacher to all students

Invest in athletic and gym equipment

Sponsor school sports teams

Promote interscholastic sports

Share community sports facilities

Work with communities to provide after-school physical activity programs for children and teens

The old adage that 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure' puts the obligation directly on school health programs to reduce the incidence of student risky behaviors and increase the odds of academic success by promoting physical education at all grade levels. Investing in students' physical health today will allow them to reap the rich rewards far into the future.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Physical Education in Schools Benefits Students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
by Saul Wagner The benefits of physical education in schools are far-reaching, including both increased student physical health and better academic performance. Conversely, a lack of physical activity among youth is known to increase the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and more. By promoting physical education (P.E.)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
PEC: Lesson Plans for Physical Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
PE Central is a web site that provides information about developmentatally appropriate physical education practices and programs.