Bursts of In-Class Exercise Can Aid Fitness Without Disruption
As childhood obesity rises, schools are searching for ways to incorporate more physical activity into their curriculum. Teachers were worried that it would make the kids more rowdy and unmanageable during class time, but it turned out that these short exercises during class may have proven to be quite beneficial.
Dr. Rebecca Hasson, UM Associate Professor of Kinesiology and director of the Childhood Disparities Research Laboratory (CDRL), and her team found that 2 minute bursts of in-class exercises not only burned calories for students but did so without hurting their math performance. "99% of kids were back on task within 30 seconds of doing activity breaks". “What we’re showing is that we can give kids an additional 16 minutes of health-enhancing physical activity,” Hasson said. And while 16 minutes doesn’t sound like much, it adds up.
Dr. Hasson and her lab observed the effects of activity breaks on mood, cognition, appetite and overall physical activity of 39 children, as part of research for InPACT (Interrupting Prolonged sitting with ACTivity), the exercise program developed by Hasson and her colleagues. Learn more about the results in the full article below.