Finding A Balance Between Healthcare And High School

Physical education classes are not enjoyed by all, in fact, some students do their best to get out of the class each day, but without this class, students would sit in school for seven hours a day with the only exercise being walking from class to class. While changing clothes and possibly getting sweaty may not seem productive for students who have spent an hour doing their hair, or feel awkward changing in front of others, this class provides positive ways of fighting obesity, releasing energy, retaining more academically, and learning discipline. Thus, students should be required to take physical education courses in high school.

The book begins by explaining how important exercise and being active is to our health and well-being. The author then transitions into a story about Naperville Central High School. This high school was in the forefront of a revolutionary new concept

America's children are not getting enough exercise, and the health risks due to obesity are becoming epidemic in nature. Even First Lady Michelle Obama is supporting an initiative to help children become more active and to provide for exercise (at least 30-60 minutes per day) in all schools. Even limited amounts of exercise can have great health benefits. When humans exercise, the brain produces chemicals that help enhance mood, limit cravings for sugars, and contribute to healthier joints, muscles, the heart, and kidneys. In turn, this translates into more productive work time, the ability to sleep better, increase memory, and reduce dependence on medications. Children are so vulnerable to this health risk that if it continues, over 60% of graduating seniors will be clinically obese. Written by a medical journalist, the book is designed for the lay reader but has a number of documented scholarly sources.

In college, students tend to spend a huge portion of their day involved with academic activities. The students are pressured to do well in all of their required classes, even if physical education is not involved in their required classes. First semester college freshmen tend to spend most of their day in their room studying or doing homework, when in reality they should spend some of their day in a gym or playing an intense sport. For some students, the transition from high school (where fitness is a mandatory class) to college (where the students can take the classes they want whenever they want) is difficult. Since the classes they take enforce difficult topics, students tend to neglect physical education due to the increase amount of dedication

25% of the youth, of US are overweight or at risk for becoming overweight, and this number increases every minute. Less teens are exercising and more and becoming addicted to unhealthy junk food. Obesity has become a huge problem in the US, and not much has been done about it, despite its terrifying effects. It affects teenagers mentally and physically, sometimes pushing them to depression. However, there are ways to prevent obesity, including exercise and eating healthy. Although obesity takes numerous tolls on teenagers, physical activity has many benefits to teenagers.

Obesity is a deadly and horrible disease; however, it can be prevented. Physical activity is the “cure” to the obesity epidemic. Obesity is the result of “‘caloric imbalance’ -- too few calories expended for the amount of calories consumed” according to Childhood Obesity Facts. Physical activity burns off a majority of the excess calories one may have. PE classes do an efficient job of getting students physically active without overworking them, or taking away from freetime after school. Therefore HCSD should keep the current physical education requirements and not replace it with sports.

To do so, the Federal Government needs to make it mandatory for all high school students to participate in physical education. Physical Education restricts any harmful illnesses from forming since the activity promotes muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance (Grace). Young adults need to be physically active in order to avoid dangerous cardiovascular diseases from forming and the Federal Government can ensure this by enforcing physical education within high schools. In fact since the last decade, physical education has been argued and decreased in importance; as a result of this, more and more young adults are developing heart diseases in an early age. In fact, according to the CDC, physical inactivity increases one’s risk for dying prematurely, dying of heart disease, and developing diabetes, colon cancer, and high blood pressure (Physical). It's only a matter of time before the number of young adults that get a cardiovascular disease rises, and the only thing that can help stop this is the Federal

Mandatory high school physical education tries to pawn off a healthy lifestyle on teenagers who frankly don’t care. Without mandatory physical education, students will be able to take control of their education and the costs of mandatory gym will be filtered back into the school in more purposeful ways. Prairie Ridge should offer weights, total body fitness, and cardiovascular to students as an elective who wish for that break in between academic classes.

No one should have to face humiliation every time they walk through the gym doors. Some students find gym class a fun escape from other academic classes, while others find it absolutely dreadful. Learning physical education can create hatred towards exercise and lower a student’s self-esteem rather than improve it. For athletic students, gym class is a breeze while for less athletic students it can be quite the challenge. Many adolescents have disabilities that can limit their physical activities,

motivated than past students. Many of these young people would prefer to be sitting passively in front of the television rather than to do something physically active. Most high school students believe they do not have sufficient time, opportunity or guidance to participate in physical activities. The ideal place in which students would be able to find adequate time, opportunity and guidance are in the high schools themselves. Politicians and educators responsible for the mandatory physical education program at the junior high school levels (grades

Fitness in most schools is generalized to a class, called Physical Education also know as P.E. and besides recess this class will be the only time these students will exercise majority of their days. More often than not the students who actually participate in P.E. are those who are more “genetically gifted” while others are more reluctant to participate, due to many reasons such as being overweight, lacking of abilities or coordination, fear of being tormented or bullied by fellow classmates. This causes many students to do only the minimum amount of work in order to pass this class. While Physical Education is a required class for all students to take, most did not want to participate in this course. Acknowledging this

“Physical education hopes to accomplish, to engage all students, not just the athlete elite, in fun activities that will instill a lifelong commitment to fitness.” (Johnson, 264). Physical education in the classroom can be a vital steeping stone to the way that teenagers think about fitness. Lifelong fitness is something that everyone should be guaranteed, it mainly depends on the experience that a teenager has. Like many other subjects in school, the

While physical education classes are beneficial for the state of a student’s health as well as a way to be active during the day, requiring students to complete a substantial amount of exercise and then judging them on that performance is unreasonable. Holding every student in one high school accountable for reaching the same standards of every other student, is holding people down from reaching goals. People who don’t reach these standards are suddenly not good enough or simply not as good as their peers, which is unkind and unfair. It is time to change the way people look at physical education and it’s not hard to do so.

It is my passion to teach, motivate and inspire my students to be physically active and enjoy a healthy life. Health related fitness and lifetime wellness provide the foundation of my elementary physical education (PE) program. Health related fitness and wellness themes are integrated into my daily lessons. I strive to help my students understand and value the importance of physical activity and the impact it has on their personal lives. Anne Flannery, President and CEO of PE4life, states, “Quality, daily physical education prepares children to take personal responsibility for their own health and wellness and can have a tremendous impact on their overall quality of life.” (Lawler, 2007, p. 113). It is my desire to encourage my

According to the WebMD, “One third of children in the U. S. is overweight or obese, and this number is continuing to rise” (Obesity in Children 1). This is alarming because these children may grow up with a higher risk of diseases, such as diabetes and heart problems. With such a concern and threat to our society in this country, many schools today offer physical education as part of the school curriculum. However, most schools only require students to take Physical Education once or twice throughout their middle school or high school years, and this is not a mandatory subject to take every semester and school year. Some students may have the perception that physical education is simply an extra class for them to have fun or take a break between classes. Based on research, it has been proven that physical exercise plays a significant role to the success of a student because it provides many benefits in the areas of physical, social and mental health development. With many benefits, Physical Education should be offered as a mandatory subject throughout the seven years of middle school and high school years, so that daily physical activities will become a part of the routine of students’ life and thus carry into their adulthood.