20160320 - physical activity

7 myths about physical activity

A few weeks ago our colleague Catherine Cameron from the Participaction Blog asked me if I’d be interested in writing a guest-post on exercise-related myths.  We put together a list of myths that we have encountered, which she recently posted as a guest post on the Participaction Blog (in English and French).  I thought it was a post that would be of interest to our readers, so I have reposted it below.  Without any further ado, here are 7 myths about physical activity!
Myth 1: A child’s time is better spent focusing on the three R’s than on performing physical activity
People sometimes worry that time devoted to physical activity comes at the expense of academic achievement.  Luckily, that’s not the case.
Here is a summary of some of the evidence showing that physical activity actually improves academic performance, taken from the 2009 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on the Physical Activity of Canadian Children and Youth:
…a comprehensive Ontario school health initiative including physical activity as a key element indicated a 36% increase in reading and a 24% increase in math scores over a two-year period. A study of over5,000 students by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that girls with the highest levels of physical education participation had higher math and reading scores. Another U.S. study of over 12,000 students indicated that daily physical activity was associated with higher math and reading achievement, echoed by an Alberta study of 5,000 students, which showed that active living had positive results on school performance. Healthy bodies and healthy minds are what Canada needs to have a strong, thriving society!
The recently-released 2011 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youthhighlighted new research suggesting that increasing physical activity may actually improve academic performance:
…school-based studies show that increasing children’s physical activity may be an effective approach to improving their academic performance. The inclusion of 30 minutes of physical activity 3 days per week for 4 months in a grade 3 curriculum improved scores on academic achievement tests. Similarly, a school-based childhood obesity prevention program that included physical activity for elementary students from low-income families not only helped with weight control and blood pressure, but also improved academic performance. This is particularly encouraging since children from low-income families are more likely to be physically inactive and obese, and to have lower levels of academic achievement.
Previously here on Obesity Panacea, Dr Angelo Tremblay has presented data from a recent study in Quebec which demonstrated that reducing class time and increasing organized physical activity results in increased fitness without any negative impact on academic achievement.

Myth 2: When you reach 65 vigorous exercise is a no-no.
Let me preface this by saying that before starting an exercise program people should meet with their physician or a Certified Exercise Physiologist to make sure that their exercise program is safe and appropriate for them.
However, there is plenty of evidence that older individual...........................................


 http://blogs.plos.org/obesitypanacea/2016/03/22/7-myths-about-physical-activity-2/