What is Physical Education?
We often come across many health-related articles where health experts emphasize on the importance of physical activities. However, amidst our busy we find it a task to incorporate exercise into our day to day life. Hence, schools and colleges make physical education an important part of the syllabus to promote a healthy and better lifestyle. Physical education is the instructional exercise and training that we undergo that help us learn the importance of health. Physical education can be a routine workout, a run of the ground or even an outdoor sport. Along with keeping fit, physical education has many more benefits that we can carry on into our lives long after school.
Importance of Physical Education
Nowadays, we rarely see kids playing outdoor games. With their access to technology, kids are seldom seen climbing a tree, riding a bicycle, running and playing outside. They have been confined to the four walls of their homes with a smartphone, a laptop or video games. Although, the use of technology at an early age is beneficial, it also has adverse effects of the child’s development. A right balance of everything is the solution to curb this generation from turning into a robotic age. Physical education has many health benefits to not only children but also adults. Every individual can make physical activities an important part of their daily lives. Physical education helps in building healthy and stronger bones, improves strength and endurance, boosts self-esteem, helps control weight, reduces risks of obesity, reduces stress and anxiety, promotes psychological well-being, improves blood pressure and cholesterol levels and reduces feelings of depression.
Exercises certainly has many physical health benefits and it also stimulates a great mental health. Students aged 6-17 years are advised to indulge into minimum 60 minutes physical activity everyday to better their physical and mental health. It increases their concentration, increases attentiveness in class, promotes better behavior and encourages better grades. Students also feel more confident. It is often said that a good habit developed in school often prevails into adulthood. Hence, understanding the importance of physical education is not helpful for students but also benefits adults and the elderly.
The decline in participation of students in physical activities is one of the major reasons for of the top health risk behaviors contributing to adolescent and teenage death and injury, along with tobacco, drug, and alcohol use, unhealthy diet, and injurious/violent behaviors. A recent study reported that there has been a consistent drop in the number of students who indulge into physical activities. The reason for this is different from person to person, however it is important to promote the importance of physical education and encourage maximum participation. This can be done by motivating physical activities in recess, invest in gym equipment, promote interscholastic sports that will also make room for healthy competition, work with communities to provide after-school physical activity programs for children and teens.
Fundamentally, it is very important for schools to promote the importance of physical education. If good habits remain for a lifetime, then physical activities must surely be a part of the package.
