Gym Classes Should Remain a Part of School Curriculum

The start to a healthy lifestyle and knowledge about your health begins in childhood. Everyone takes a lot of their knowledge and habits from their parents or teachers while growing up. One of the most important parts of development and knowledge involving a healthy lifestyle is gym and health class all through elementary school and high school. Due to the declining funds for public schools, it is coming to question whether gym class is necessary. In my opinion, it is very necessary. The obesity rates in the United States are sky rocketing and only getting worse. In school, kids sit in a desk and don’t get up unless they are switching classes or going to lunch. That is on average 5 hours of just sitting on your butt. This is the only time the kids get fresh air either. My high school had NO WINDOWS. We never knew if it was raining or sunny or snowing. Gym was the only time we got to step out in the fresh air and not have to breathe in the filtered air that came through the dirty vents.

I’ll admit I hated gym class and I did anything to avoid participating. The bare minimum is what I excelled at. Gym class is also embarrassing because you want to look cool and having a volleyball hit you in the face is completely not cool at all. That being said, gym class needs to be changed as well. “After all, according to a MSNBC investigation, researchers have found that the average high school gym class only keeps students physically active for an average of 16 minutes”(publicschoolreview.com) a study was done at Cornell University and it said they do not necessarily believe that gym classes should be banned in public school, arguing, “”We’re not saying schools should get rid of (physical education),” but “there has to be a meaningful change in the curriculum.”

Back to the obesity argument, it needs to be fixed and quickly. An opinion article on bruzzle.com said “Simple- we are a fat nation, and schools need to promote good health. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America, and obesity is one of the main problems. Exercise is the answer. Thus, schools promote gym class as a means of trying to get kids to exercise.” Yes, some of the exercises and sports are not for everyone. Schools need to have different forms of gym class to meet the needs of different types of students. Some students, for example, are not competitive by nature, and should not be forced to participate in sports that essentially results in them being bullied or humiliated. But exercise is a must, one way or another, so gym stays.

http://www.publicschoolreview.com/articles/158

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/need-mandatory-physical-education-back-schools.html------

I just wanted to share a fun website with everyone that has to do with fitness, but also talks about celebrities. This is a guilty pleasure of mine.

The famous blogger Perez Hilton is known to be a straight forward blogger that shamelessly makes fun of celebrities and everything they do in their daily lives. He also has other blogs for more specific things such as fitperez.com. This blog has serious articles about diabetes and rising obesity rates among adults, but also talks about how to get fit for your wedding or what celebrities do to get in shape. So if your looking for a guilty pleasure and something fun to look at when your bored!

Cosmopolitan and other magazines are misleading!

The women’s magazine Cosmopolitan can be known as the sex bible or the ultimate magazine for women. Yes, Cosmo has a lot of sex tips and some useful advice about “pleasing your man” but when it comes to giving health and workout advice, Cosmo’s advice should be taken lightly. As I looked through the health and fitness section of the Cosmo Website I continued to laugh to myself the entire time. You hear a lot of the time women complaining that diets arnt working, well I have figured out why, the information they are getting is completely misleading. To think you will ‘Lose 5 pounds in a week’ and tone your body with 30 minute exercises is crazy.

I pulled out a couple of the most ridiculous and false things that I came across and thought I would share them and tell why they are so wrong!

This is what Cosmo said…

The trick: Gulp a Slushie right before exercising on a sweltering day.
How it works: Hot weather means your body has to work harder to move, wearing you out more quickly. But according to new research published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, participants who drank a Slushie ran for about 10 minutes longer before feeling the crippling effects of heat (burning face, melting body, heavy feet). At 30 degrees, Slushies are colder than regular ice water, and the mix of sugary water and crushed ice lowers your body temperature before you start running, so you can last longer before getting overheated. Very cool

Why it’s false…

Just think about it for a second, chugging a slushie before running! This one actually made me laugh out loud. This is the worst idea ever, there is a ton of sugar in it, it’s cold and will give you brain freeze, and chugging anything before running will give you major cramps because who wants a ton of liquid in there stomach when running?

What Cosmo said…

STEP ON THE SCALE DAILY

If your regular weight increases several days in a row, it's a red flag letting you know you need to cut back a little or beef up your workouts slightly.

Why its false…

Stepping on scale daily is another really bad thing you can do if you are trying to lose weight. Your weight can fluctuated up to 3 pounds depending on the time of day that you get on the scale, the amount you have eaten or drank, and if you have gone to the rest room recently. This is also very discouraging for most people and that why most give up on a diet. If you want to lose weight you should get on the scale maximum once a week and make sure it is a consistent time of day. This will help you stick to your diet and won’t make you want to cry on a daily basis

What Cosmo said…

EAT A BIG, BALANCED BREAKFAST

An a.m. meal made up mostly of carbs and protein with some fat keeps blood-sugar levels steady and hunger pangs away so you're not susceptible to pigging out come lunch, studies show. Opt for something satisfying for your stomach and taste buds — like egg whites and turkey bacon with whole-wheat toast.

Why it’s false…

From experience and many other studies, you should not eat one big meal a day and not eat for a while after. The best way to eat and diet is to eat a bunch of small meals a day with all the different food groups included. This keeps your metabolism running all day and will speed it up for the future. Cosmo is right in terms of a well balanced breakfast, but it eat an oversize breakfast is wrong.

There were also some sections on how fast food won’t make you fat, which is false, and there were also sections on how to lose 5 pounds in a week. Unless you are significantly overweight, you should not be losing that much weight at one time. This is also discouraging because most people cannot lose that much weight and they give up after a while.

My conclusion is the next time you pick up any magazine or read any website that tells you about fitness and health, stop for a second, think if this is logical or not. Most of the time it is definitely not logical. If you can’t decide if it’s logical or not, look back at this blog and it tells you all the right things to do!

Working out the stress

Feeling a little stressed? Feel like you are drowning and just can't get out of this situation? Well one of the best ways to relieve this stress is to exercise. I am not saying that it will make all of these bad/stressful situations go away, but it will make you a happier person and it allow you to compose yourself and have an easier time dealing with everything. Exercising releases endorphins which is a chemical that makes you happier. You will also feel good about the way you look and feel more energized. These two articles present two different ways of looking at the benefits of exercise. The first tells you what type of exercises you should do and what causes stress in everyday life. The second article gives a scientific look at it. Tells you about the chemicals that are released and mixed.

Stress is both a good thing and a bad thing. Stress is good in terms of productivity and motivation but bad in terms of health. “When the level of stress overwhelms us and exceeds a certain limit, different biological responses are triggered resulting in increased heart rate, headache, elevated blood pressure, insomnia, muscle tension, rashes, ulcers and accelerated breathing, which might lead to life threatening health disorders.” Exercise is one of the best ways to relieve stress in a healthy way. Doctors often recommend exercise to patients of depression in order to free your mind. You should always do an exercise that you enjoy because if you don’t, you will feel as though it’s a chore and you will not make it a habit.

Some of the causes of stress is poor health. Exercise is something that reverses that. It brings oxygen to the vital organs. It also boosts liver functions, digestive activities, metabolism, intestinal movements and kidney functions.

http://www.essortment.com/lifestyle/healthtipsexer_sion.htm

This article addresses the scientific part of exercise relieving stress. “When you exercise, your body produces substances called endorphins. Endorphins are formed within the body to help relieve pain and induce a feeling of well-being and relaxation. Endorphins have a similar chemical structure to morphine. Release of these endorphins can make you fall asleep faster, and may help in the reduction of high blood pressure.” When you get stressed out your body undergoes many chemical changes, some 1500. This is called “fight or flight.” To change your body’s chemical composition is not the only way to alleviate stress.

If you are angry and stressed it is recommended to hit a racquetball, golf ball, or punching bag. That is a good way to “get it out” but the article also says to not do something competitive because it will cause more stress. “During stressful times, muscles contract. During exercise, muscles do work, releasing stored energy and allowing the muscles to return back to their resting state.”

http://training.fitness.com/stress-anxiety-reduction/using-exercise-relieve-stress-15587.html