Looking for Better Grades? Try Exercising

Kids who get more exercise in any form – during recess or some activity on the way to school – are more likely to do better at studies, said a recent global study.

US schools have an inclination to reduce physical activity time in favor of more preparation for the academic agenda, according to some findings.

“Maybe it’s an activity break, stand up every half an hour in class and do something,” said Amika Singh, from VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, who worked on the study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine

“It might mean going to school by bike… Any kind of physical activity you can think of. It doesn’t mean only the physical education standard class,” she added.

Researchers asked students how much time they spent exercising, and they found that those with higher rates of physical activity did better in the classroom.

Three of the four studies involving an exercise intervention found that students given more exercise time scored higher on measures of academic performance.

That could be because children are better behaved and can concentrate better when they get enough exercise, or because physical activity improves blood flow to the brain and boosts mood, the researchers said in the study.