If you thought that your child's academic performance is based solely on the number of hours spent studying, you're sorely wrong. And one of the major, mostly ignored, influencing contributors is physical health.
Physical activity and health can actually boost a person's ability to learn. According to a study, exercise can improve a child's cognitive abilities, health, and academic performance significantly. Regular aerobic exercise enhances the functioning of the hippocampus, the area of the brain involved in learning and verbal memory. Even the prefrontal cortex and medial temporal cortex—parts of the brain that control thinking and memory—are found to be in better health in those who exercise regularly than in the brains of those who don't exercise.
The effect of exercise on memory and thinking is both direct and indirect. Directly, regular exercise gives the ability to stimulate the release of growth factors, chemicals in the brain that affect the health of brain cells, as well as the survival of new brain cells. It will also reduce stress and anxiety.
Studies show that the added study length doesn't bring about the expected learning effects. Furthermore, the greatest cognitive benefits from physical education have been seen to come about when physical education is given either in the first half of the day or midday rather than at the end of the day. The benefits of exercise in terms of academic performance also apply to college students. According to a recent study in the North Carolina State, just an hour of exercise every week can bring about great changes.
A. There are loads of benefits of physical exercise.
B. In fact, good grades are a result of multiple factors.
C. As a consequence, it can boost our behaviour and thinking ability.
D. Additionally, getting enough exercise will improve sleep quality and mood.
E. Other forms of exercise like balance exercises do boost the cognitive performance of the brain.
F. The benefits of exercise during the school day exceed those coming from increasing class time.
G. Thus, physical activity should be seen as more a core educational concern than an insignificant option.
