Physical Activity Breaks

1. Having physical activity breaks throughout the day is just as important as the time that is used for academics. Since they have placed a lot of emphasis on academic performances, schools have made the decision to drop many of the certified physical education teachers. According to Pangrazi (2009), “it eliminates what for many kids is their only opportunity for sustained physical activity.” (Robert Pangrazi, 2009, p.4) This just further promotes the importance of implementing physical activity breaks throughout the day since most won’t be getting it outside of the classroom.

Most former teachers would not feel confident about this idea but every classroom teacher does not have to become a specialist in physical education. They just need to make small changes within their power and control. Small physical breaks in between lessons is a great starting point. Furthermore, a study done by (Jebb and Moore, 1999) mentioned by Pangrazi (2009) states that, “weight problems are not caused so much by eating more as they are by being less active.” (Robert Pangrazi, 2009, p.5) This study and the importance of physical breaks in between lessons formulate a strong lifestyle tool that students will take with them as they grow older. Since we know that weight problems have more to do with being less active, having students perform small physical breaks will further extend their life long physical activity. As they grow older and have an active work life they will remember to take small physical breaks

Some of the positive physical education experiences I encountered in elementary school were a few. But, I do remember learning about the food pyramid and being introduced to it. Having a picture right in front of me really helped me classified where each food belonged in the food pyramid. Another positive aspect I remember encountering was when my 5th grade teacher gave every student a step counter so we could estimate the number of steps we took every day. This was very fun and exciting to see and document the amount of steps I took. Additionally, another positive aspect I remember was doing inside team building activities or games. Some of the negative experiences I encountered were in 4th grade when the only physical activities we would do was run laps around the school. Another negative aspect was when we were divided into teams and the team captain decided who they wanted to pick for their team. Additionally, the most negative aspect of elementary physical education was always being one the last ones to come in a race or game. As an adult, some of the positive experiences in elementary school influenced the