Exercise: The Key to Better Grades?

Exercise: The Key to Better Grades?

By Editorial Staff

For better or worse, we live in an increasingly competitive world, which means when it comes to education, grades matter – big time. While they don’t necessarily reflect the learning process, effort expended or lessons learned, grades remain an important indicator of knowledge, critical thinking and other variables that translate well into adulthood.

And of course, when applying for college, few application reviewers consider the straight D student, even if that student gave 100 percent in the classroom every day.

With all the tutoring clubs, online support groups and other tools at students’ / parents’ disposal these days, it’s encouraging to know a simple grade-booster exists that doesn’t require money or even a great deal of extra time: exercise. Research suggests children who exercise more perform better in several academic subjects and are more attentive compared to their less-active peers.

The most recent study to examine this association reviewed 26 studies involving more than 10,000 children ages 4-13. Results, published in the peer-reviewed research journal Pediatrics, showed that increased physical activity, particularly physical education, improved various aspects of academic achievement , “especially mathematics-related skills, reading, and composite scores.” Students who exercised more also appeared to stay more focused on their schoolwork than students who exercised less.

In the studies analyzed, researchers increased physical activity levels through expanded recess, afters-school sports or active breaks between lessons throughout the school day – which also may suggest academic performance is related to whether kids get breaks from their long days sitting in the classroom. Definitely food for thought for the education system.

From a parent standpoint, teaching your kids to exercise and encouraging them to take active breaks at home, particularly while doing schoolwork or studying for quizzes / tests, could help their academic performance – and will certainly help avoid the health perils of a sedentary lifestyle. Talk to your doctor for more information.

Worried About Screen Time? So Are Your Kids

To Your Health
December, 2017 (Vol. 11, Issue 12)

Worried About Screen Time? So Are Your Kids

By Editorial Staff

The Digital Age has brought with it costs and benefits, with one of the greatest costs, at least if you ask many parents, being the amount of time their children are immersed in potentially dangerous, distracting, mind-numbing “screen time” via cellphones, laptops, tablets and all other manner of electronic devices. But don’t think you’re the only ones worried about your kids’ screen time. So are they – well, sort of. Here’s another reason to limit your children’s time and some great suggestions on how to do it.

No parent wants their child to experience anxiety, much less depression, but it can happen for various reasons. Peer pressure, home / school demands and other factors can all come into play. So why would anyone want to add “screen time” to the mix when research suggests it also may contribute to anxiety and depression?

Researchers recently investigated the potential connection between exposure to digital media – television, video games, computers, tablets, smartphones, and other devices – and anxiety / depression in children and adolescents. Here’s what some of the current research suggests, according to the researchers’ review, published in the peer-reviewed research journal Pediatrics last month:

“Anxiety resulting from lack of emotion-regulation skills because of substituted digital media use”
“Social anxiety and depression from lack of social interaction because of substituted digital media use”
“Anxiety because of worries about being inadequately connected”
“Anxiety, depression, and suicide as the result of cyberbullying and other media use behaviors”

So, what can you do about it? Limiting your child’s digital media use seems like the easy answer, but it’s not necessarily that simple. After all, as the researchers suggest, removing digital media, particularly for communication purposes (texting, emailing, etc.) can increase your child’s anxiety and depression because they feel they’re helpless to connect with their friends / communicate with “their world.” Here are a few suggestions the researchers provide to create a healthy balance of digital media use in your home:

Develop household rules about digital media use and media use in general.
Help teach children about appropriate vs. inappropriate content using ratings, reviews, plot descriptions, etc.
Screen material before allowing your child to access it, and block sites / use content filters according to age.
Look for high levels of anxiety, sleep problems, behavioral problems and other symptoms that could be related to digital media use.

Finally, keep in mind that in moderation, digital media has benefits for your children, particularly with so many apps and websites at your fingertips to teach, motivate and inspire your child to learn. Talk to your doctor for more information about the pros and cons of digital media and how to make it a healthy part of your household.