Why Physical Education Needs to Be Taken a Step Further in Schools

As educators and parents, we need to raise children that are well-rounded across the board in all aspects. These children should grow to be well-respected adults later on in life who are educated, have the right social and emotional learning, and credit society.

However, that is not all.

These kids should be raised to be healthy adults that have a keen interest in the world of health and fitness.

The Number One Killer Around the Globe
Even though heaven and earth are being moved to keep people safe from the coronavirus, perhaps we should be looking at other health issues and address them accordingly.

The number one killer around the globe is heart disease. Heart disease is brought on by a sedentary lifestyle and a poor diet. To put it simply, too much time on the couch and too much junk food.

One person dies every 36 seconds in the United States from heart disease. Around the globe, about 18 million die every year from heart disease. Furthermore, while sometimes poor genetics or tough luck brings it on, most heart disease can be avoided by living a higher quality of life.

Obesity Is at an All-Time High
Get ready for this. In America, about 42 percent of adults are clinically obese. Not just overweight by a few pounds or even 20 really, but severely overweight so much that it affects their lives. Also, it brings on a slew of health problems and raises everyone’s health insurance premiums. Not taking care of oneself, chances are a visit to the doctor and the hospital than those that keep themselves in shape.

Make Health and Fitness a Permanent Fixture of Every Grade Level
To make children around the world healthier, we should all have a permanent health and fitness course at every school level. Children should know early on how many calories they should be consuming every day and nothing more. They should realize to focus on protein, fruits, and vegetables and try their best to leave the overly-processed foods on the shelf.

Health and fitness should be a staple of the curriculum from here on out. If we can close down the world because of COVID, we could focus on improving health and fitness as heart disease is actively killing millions more every day.

Practice What We Preach
Promoting health and fitness means that educators and parents should be setting an excellent example for the kids. Over the years, I have walked into classrooms where teachers spoke about the importance of eating right and getting a fair amount of exercise every day. Meanwhile, McDonald’s were on their desks, and they were teaching straight from a sitting position because they were more than 50 pounds overweight.

They lose all credibility when something like this happens.

We all need to set good examples for our children; otherwise, they will grow obese. Research shows that obese parents will more than likely have obese children. It’s not a happy thought thinking we are responsible for taking years off children’s lives? I have witnessed these things happen firsthand. Children acquiring diabetes because of a poor diet is not something that should be happening.

Professional Development Could Be the Way to Go
Perhaps more educators do not promote health and fitness because they feel it is not something they know enough about at the moment. This can change with the right professional development. Here at iAchieve, we can offer professional development to your staff to help educators feel more confident in what they can offer. Contact us if you would like a health and fitness professional development workshop provided to your district!

Active Body, Active Mind: The Mental Benefits of Physical Activity

Addressing Student Anxiety Through Exercise