The Benefits of Mandating Physical Education in Schools

Physical Education classes have always been a part of school systems all over the world. However, budget cuts, rising academic requirements, and ultimately, laziness, have put this essential course in jeopardy. This has resulted in many parents, teachers, education officials, and most importantly, students, speaking up and working to make physical education mandatory in schools across the nation because they believe that it has an abundance of positive outcomes. Physical Education promotes academic learning, teaches individuals to lead a healthy lifestyle, and is also proven to build self esteem, as well as character, in individuals. The aforementioned reasons should be more than enough to convince any skeptic of the importance of physical education. One of the most important benefits resulting from mandating physical education in schools is that it has the power to promote academic learning. Many studies have shown a direct connection between physical activities and good quality grades. For example, a study conducted by the Canadian Department of Health and Human Services states that “In 2011, 25 percent of teens who had taken part in physical education classes had achieved generally higher grades than those teens that did not take those classes.” Additionally, it is proven that Physical activity increases blood flow and supports the brain to function more efficiently when dealing with academic work. Keeping this fact in mind, it would be much easier for children of all ages to succeed in classes such as Math, English or Science if they also had to take a Physical Education class. Also, in some cases, this physical activity provides an energy release that helps kids from getting distracted and agitated when in the classroom. As we grow older, classes unfortunately get longer, which results in an accumulated amount of energy that students may find hard to release in a positive way. Gym classes provide an excellent option for students to release all that energy. The direct relation between good grades and participating in physical activity, making it easier for students to succeed in all kinds of subjects and providing an outlet for built up energy are all superb reasons as to why mandating Physical Education in schools promotes academic learning. Besides promoting academic learning, P.E classes also promote exercising, which leads to healthier bodies and lives.
Mandating physical education will teach individuals about healthy living styles and also will take a preventive measure against diseases and illnesses. Regular physical activity, especially for growing bodies (children), is one of the most important measures, if not the most important measure, you can take for your health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Heart Disease and stroke are two of the leading causes of death in the United States.” The article goes on to remark that “…getting at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of physical activity a week can put you at a lower risk for these diseases.” The author concludes the article with “Regular physical activity can also lower your blood pressure and improve your cholesterol levels.” It is also proven in numerous articles that physical activity plays a big role in helping to prevent diabetes, metabolic syndromes, and even some cancers. Making it compulsory to attend physical education classes will inform students about the aforesaid benefits, and these kids are more likely to go off and live healthier lives than children that are not as informed. Another great bonus of authorizing physical education classes in schools is that students (particularly older students) are given the opportunity to improve their health and mood. Regular physical activity can help decrease your risk of depression and may even help with sleeping habits! Research has shown that doing muscle-strengthening activities such as aerobics, can give many mental health benefits, for instance, decreasing your risk of depression. In addition, physical activity can definitely increase your chances of living longer. Many studies show that physical activity is able to reduce the risk of death caused by diseases such as heart disease and some cancers. A remarkable statistic conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is that “People who are physically active for about 7 hours a week have a 40 percent lower risk of dying early than those who are active for less than 30 minutes a week.” Not only will mandating physical education take a preventive measure against diseases and increase the chances of longer lives, it will also help build character in students.
Last but not least, if physical education in schools becomes compulsory, students will certainly benefit from it because physical activity is proven to build self esteem and character in individuals. In gym classes at school, children are exposed to team sports and leadership early on in their lives. Children are more likely to continue being co-operative at a work place or take initiative “in the real world” n the future, if they were exposed to such traits at a younger age. Moreover, if physical education is made compulsory, it will result in the boost of self esteem in many students. Physical activity gives students of all ages a sense of mastery; they will think “I accomplished something!” This will also encourage students to set and work towards goals, building character, initiative and determinacy. For example, a gym student may work towards setting a better time for the mile run. Each time this student runs the race and sheds an extra couple of seconds off their time, they will visually and physically see their improvement and feel great about how their hard work paid off and improved their performance. It is difficult for students to find and actually feel the same sense of accomplishment anywhere else in their lives.
It would be abundantly beneficial if schools decided to make Physical Education necessary in schools. A progress in academic learning, preventing diseases and helping people live longer and healthier lives, and building self esteem and character in individuals are the aforementioned benefits of mandating physical education in schools. Now that some strong reasons as to why physical education should be made compulsory have been made, does “laziness” still seem like a superior reason to why Physical Education should not be made mandatory?