an elixir of health, so how can we improve the health and fitness of our students?
Encouraging students to become more physically active, to get more sleep, to drink water and eat healthy food is no easy feat, even if we tell them that doing so supports their bodies and brains. The brain uses about 20 % of the body’ s energy expenditure and many of our students often appear to be running on mediocre fuel or fumes, obviously battling lethargy, moodiness and sleepiness in our classrooms. Our brain cells need a constant supply of premium grade fuel- oxygen and glucose. When the task is more challenging, greater glucose is consumed, so raw or dried fruit is a healthy option. Adequate water, but not the“ 8 glasses a day” myth, provides lung moisture that supports efficient oxygen transport into the blood stream. Apparently, only 2 % dehydration leads to reducing cognition. Like the simplest of short exercise regimens that people often avoid, we should not quit before we begin.
So how can we make students aware that proper body maintenance is also a part of learning? Teachers, as awareness raisers, can provide interesting video links, worksheet activities and brief CLIL( Content and Language Integrated Learning) snippets. Also, basic informal classroom surveys can reveal our students’ lifestyle choice patterns and hopefully influence health-oriented lifelong learning.
Comfy chairs and sofas are not your friends.
Before moving on to active classroom ideas, could there be another type of specific physical activity equally important for teachers and learners to be aware of? Let’ s first consider the all-important combination of attention spans – 10-20 minutes depending on age – in light of recommended regular intermittent movement about every 20 minutes.( You may want to stand as you read this if you are currently sitting down). Contrary to popular belief, even regular exercise 3-4 times a week does not counter the harmful effects of prolonged sitting, typical in our modern lifestyles. Essentially it depends on how actively you spend the remainder of your waking hours before or after your short bout of exercise. It’ s possible you may even feel more hungry than usual after going to the gym and eat more and gain weight. After all, historically, we used to sit only to rest, eat, fuel our bodies and support our muscles for continuous motion. Now we mostly sit, often overeat, occasionally exercise and start gasping on only the third flight of stairs. When energy expenditure is minimal, a greater likelihood of metabolic diseases occurs, fatigue-related calorie consumption increases, surplus fuel becomes fat, blood flow and oxygen to the brain decrease, brain activity and alertness suffer, and we increase the risk of premature death. Lifts, escalators, comfy chairs and sofas are not your close friends, so distance yourself from them until in need. That is why some people are opting for walking meetings, using slow-paced treadmill desks and standing desks – Marc
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