Does running a mile a day really improve children’s lives?
The Scottish school that asked primary pupils to do 15 minutes of exercise every day
The Scottish school that asked primary pupils to do 15 minutes of exercise every day started a global trend – and research suggests it really is transforming lives. It was an 80-year-old volunteer who prompted Elaine Wylie, the then headteacher of St Ninians primary school in Stirling, to reappraise the fitness of the children in her school. “Your children are not fit,” the volunteer told her. Wylie was stung by the comment, even though she suspected it was true. The PE teacher confirmed it.
Not just for children
Originally aimed at school children, but now the Daily Mile Foundation have tweaked it for adults too - more info can be found in the link below. In short, the study found that children taking part in the daily mile, which is fifteen minutes of jogging per day, became faster, increased their moderate to vigorous activity by nine minutes per day and cut their sedentary time by eighteen minutes per day. They became leaner, they learnt to exercise which likely will influence their life long exercise habits. Their bone density in later life will likely increase and their risk of heart disease will likely decline. Their brain development and function will receive a boost, they will feel more awake, have increased attention, better verbal memory and improved overall wellbeing. Sounds pretty positive to me.
As always, if this has inspired you but you are new to exercise and unsure whether it is safe, seek a medical opinion first.
The Guardian
Shared from Apple News
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