Ryan Collins 1st semester speech

    It’s finals week, and stress is at an all time high. Some of us are so stressed out that we can’t even begin to bring ourselves to study for the tests that will determine our grades. There are a few ways we could rid ourselves of this vexing feeling; we could start taking hardcore drugs, but who wants to do that? We could drop out of school completely and join the military, but that isn’t for everyone. A terrific way to alleviate stress and feel better both mentally and physically is to exercise. sadly, less and less of us, students, are exercising. Why? Because we don’t have time to. Between juggling homework from advanced classes, working a job and being in clubs, we don’t have much free time. I believe that schools should implement some sort of daily physical activity into their curriculum to improve student’s well-being and academic performance.

    Back to finals, there are many ways students try to cram. Many drink excessive amounts of caffeine to stimulate their neurotransmitters, which are essential for learning and memorizing information. What if i told you that exercising could have the same effect? When you exercise, you also release those crucial neurotransmitters such as serotonin, which controls mood, impulsivity, and aggressiveness, and norepinephrine, which influences attention, motivation, and arousal.  “Exercise improves learning on three levels”, says Doctor John J. Ratey in his book, “Spark”. “It optimizes your mind set to improve alertness, attention, and motivation; second, it prepares and encourages nerve cells to bind together; and third, it spurs the development of new nerve cells from stem cells in the hippocampus.” This is also shown in a study presented at Am Call Sports med meeting in 2010. On average, students who exercised achieved .4 points better on their gpa than students who didn’t. In a study by the California department of education, students who were deemed “fit” scored twice as well as those who were deemed unfit. There are countless studies out there that prove that exercise plays a huge part in cognition, and that a little exercise once a day could dramatically improve test scores and grades.

    Not only does exercise make you perform better, it also makes you feel better!  An article written by the Mayo Clinic staff explains that certain chemicals that create good feelings and ease depression are released during exercise such as endorphins and other neurotransmitters. Exercise also raises your body temperature, which can create a calming effect. Even the New York times wrote about how exercise can reduce severe anxiety by its production of GABA, which inhibits the firing of neurons, preventing the tendency to overthink. Exercise also boosts confidence. Achieving a goal set for yourself, regardless of how big or small, is a terrific feeling. In addition to that, exercise also makes you feel better about your appearance, further making you feel better about yourself. If schools would implement physical activity into their curriculum, it would boost the moral of the student exponentially.

    However, the problem isn't finding the motivation to exercise, but the time. Many kids are involved in rigorous after school clubs and organizations on top of the large amounts of homework they are expected to complete. I know that i have to move things around and usually stay up late doing homework if i choose to go to the gym. If our schedule included 10-15 minutes of exercise, it would allow students to pursue other interests after class. I know that it sounds very complicated and not worth the effort, but where exercise has been implemented, scholastics have flourished. In a study done by the Medical University of South Carolina Children’s hospital, teachers received grants to educate staff about fitness and revamp a few classrooms into two gyms. The students then participated in 40 minutes of educational physical activity a day, 5 times a week. When the students took their annual standardized tests, almost 15% more students reached their schoolwide goal than they had the previous year, when they only exercised 40 minutes a week. Though we do not have a grant like they did, there are other programs that our school could participate in. One that has already been implemented in kentucky is world fit, where students walk around the track at their school every day for 15 minutes. the miles are then put on a leaderboard for national recognition. I personally participated in this program in 8th grade and found it very beneficial. It was a great break from sitting in my desk and i felt more focused afterwards. If our school could implement a program similar to that of world fit, it would improve the scholastic capabilities of our students.

    Yesterday, i was flipping out about presenting this essay. I was having difficulty remembering the lines, and kept messing up. I decided to take a break and go to the gym for 30 minutes. when i returned, i felt much more relaxed, confident, and content, which in turn helped me memorize my speech, and feel confident enough to present it without crying. I know that it would be difficult for administrators to work in a brief period of physical activity, but I promise that if it is implemented, it would go a long way in improving both student’s academic performance and mood.