Fitness/Academics Correlation

News Review From Harvard Medical School -- Study: Exercise, Fitness May Boost Grades

"Girls who are physically active and boys who are fit also have higher grades, a study from Sweden suggests. The study included 232 students. Their average age was 16. They wore devices to track their activity for four days, including one weekend day. On average, the girls spent 69 minutes a day in moderate or vigorous activity. Moderate exercise included hiking and skateboarding. Vigorous exercise included soccer and running. Boys were active about 81 minutes a day. Researchers looked at exercise in relationship to grades. They adjusted for several other factors that can affect grades. They found that girls who were more active also had higher grades. Researchers also tested fitness. This did not affect girls' grades, but boys who were more fit had higher grades. The amount of exercise was not linked with boys' grades. The study was in the Journal of Pediatrics. Reuters Health news service wrote about it December 11."

According to Claire McCarthy, M.D. of Harvard Medical School, this isn't the first study to correlate fitness with academic achievement. This study was published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers looked at men who entered the military at age 18 between 1950 and 1976. They were given a fitness test upon entry. The researchers found that those who were more fit were more likely to have educational achievements later in life.

Should we be surprised by these findings? I'm not sure this should really come as much of a surprise, as people who are more physically active and/or more fit are generally going to live a life in a calmer demeanor. Often times the stresses of life are released in physical activity.

Regular exercise has been shown to decrease the effects, and often times prevent the occurence of anxiety and depression. It helps you sleep better and more consistently which also helps prevent anxiety and depression. And regular exercise is a major component in maintaining your overall health level. It should be a rather obvious connection between overall health level and your ability to achieve.

As I've stated before, there really is no surprise in these findings to me. What it does, however, is reinforce the idea that you should begin to instill good life habits in children early on to live an active and healthy life.

Not only will it help them be healthier and prevent anxiety and depression, but will also help them perform better in school.

As for adults? It is never too late to take your first steps into leading a healthier and more active lifestyle. There are really no valid excuses to not have some form of regular exercise in your weekly/daily routines. Try it out, and you'll be surprised at how much better you feel day in and day out.