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IMPROVING ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE THROUGH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
According to a recent report, schools can help students enhance their academic achievements and improve their behaviour through physical activity Academic performance is known to be related to a student’s sense of wellbeing and according to a recent white paper, ‘Engaging children and young people in physical activity’, commissioned by leading health and fitness equipment manufacturer Precor and written by ukactive, a not for profit body within the UK active lifestyle sector, “schools can help students enhance their academic achievements and improve their behaviour through physical activity.” INVESTING IN FITNESS Progressively, universities, colleges and schools are investing in fitness facilities that enhance this sense of wellbeing and set them apart from other institutions. Precor has worked with many education establishments to expand and refurbish gym facilities, and understands the importance of encouraging exercise in this setting. In fact, according to the OFSTED report ‘Beyond 2012 – outstanding physical education for all’, those that have achieved ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ ratings tend to be ahead of the game and encourage pupils to actively engage in physical activity. In line with OFSTED’s 2012 report there are three consistent truths: priority should be given to fitness, health and wellbeing; high-intensity and short duration exercises are preferred; and lastly, the collection and assessment of data should be systematic to track pupils’ progress and achievements. Jonathan Griffiths, UK marketing manager for Precor comments: “With obesity and physical inactivity levels in children rising, schools and colleges are finding ways to incorporate physical activity ever more challenging. Education facilities have a key role in ensuring our children grow up healthily and aware of the importance of being physically active. Precor believes this should be at the core of every child’s development.” THE BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY The white paper looks at the numerous benefits of physical activity on health, development and wellbeing, highlights the importance of delivering inclusive activity programmes, and provides guidance for anyone aiming to get children more active, more often. It covers best practice and
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solutions from schools, local communities and activity providers and investigates how they can collaborate to make physical activity a priority for every child in the hope of generating behavioural change in early years. Delving into how traditional outdoor games can disengage less active children, it provides recommendations on how to tackle the issues for key groups and looks at how vigorous physical activity and, notably, cardiovascular and fitness activities are the most likely to produce health and cognitive benefits. Research from Precor shows that exercisers who set goals with Preva as part of their exercise regime work out on average one day more per week than those who do not and are more likely to achieve results than those not working towards something. So, encouraging gym goers to set goals is key and Precor’s latest innovation Preva, the leisure industry’s first open platform networked fitness solution, has a range of features to do just this. Preva delivers a wide variety of internet content covering topics such as health and fitness, sport and technology in a format specifically for the in-motion exerciser. Preva Personal Accounts enables personal goals to be set each week, with targets such as distance, calories or duration as well as a long-term focus, for example losing weight, rebuilding fitness levels or toning up. Recognition rewards pop up to celebrate key milestones along the way, featuring educational information such as the height of the World landmarks, and giving exercisers something to strive for. Workouts can be saved, so ‘favourite’ last sessions are ready and waiting. DIET In Food Technology students can learn about calorie intake and use Preva Personal Accounts to track calories burned. Calorie targets can be set, with students earning goal badges when they hit their target. In Biology using the Adaptive Motion Trainer (AMT) and selecting the Stride Dial, students can see stride length in real-time on the console, to determine which muscle groups are being worked. Preva Business Suite provides real-time equipment status updates, showing if the machines are in use or idle, if a service
is required or an inspection is needed. Preva Business Suite can be accessed from any internet-connected computer and allows schools and colleges to run reports showing daily use of equipment, cumulative use and trends by time, which can be an effective tool in ICT, enabling students to track usage of equipment and plan improvements to gym floor plans. SUPPORTING STUDENTS Griffiths continues: “Everyone lives on the web nowadays and Preva plays well to that strength, offering support to students as well as gym members. You can even share exercise achievements on Twitter and Facebook.” What’s more, the Preva Mobile app means activities outside school or the gym, such as swimming, playing sport, group classes or outdoor activities, like football, hockey, hiking or even walking the dog can be uploaded, counting towards the weekly goal. Precor equipment enables universities, colleges and schools to actively encourage students to reach targets and become fitter and healthier, and with web-based Preva, they can tap into the technological aspects of fitness while helping improve students’ fitness and academic levels. FURTHER INFORMATION For a copy of the white paper visit http://www.precor.com/en-gb/gymequipment-suppliers/schools