Have you ever been having a lousy day and then find that, crazily enough, after running a couple of miles, you feel like a new person?

This isn’t something you made up — the runner’s high is real (and admittedly, pretty cool). But this euphoric boost isn’t exclusive to running. Really, most forms of physical activity offer similar benefits, proving just how powerful movement can be.

When we exercise, we stimulate the body’s production of dopamine (also known as the “happy hormone”), which enhances feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation, contributing to an overall sense of well-being. 

Additionally, physical activity leads to increased blood flow to the brain. The result, to put it briefly, is that the brain can function at a higher level

For students, this combination of increased dopamine and blood flow might translate to:

  • Elevated motivation           
  • Increased curiosity
  • Greater productivity

As such, when considering how to maximize student engagement and improve outcomes, it’s crucial to place greater emphasis on the importance of physical activity.

Why is physical activity so important for students?

It’s easy to tell students that success in school solely comes down to focus, motivation, and intelligence. But this advice overlooks a critical factor in academic achievement: meeting basic physiological needs.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs proposes that we’re motivated to fulfill our needs in a hierarchical order — for instance, in order to succeed in reaching our academic potential, we first need to have access to fulfill our physiological needs, such as having access to sufficient food and water.

While Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs doesn’t explicitly reference exercise, it does prioritize health within the second level of needs. Meanwhile, the hierarchy places achievement (such as academic success) in two higher tiers.

So, according to Maslow, for students to excel academically, they must prioritize their physical health.

In particular, physical activity has been shown to have major effects on academic outcomes; the existence of such a relationship  means that it would be ideal if we could regularly include physical activity in the school day. 

The relationship between physical activity and academic performance

As previously mentioned, when we exercise, our dopamine levels increase. This boost acts almost like a pain killer, inhibiting negative feelings and allowing us to tap into more positive ones. As a result, we reap different benefits such as improved cognitive function, mood, and sleep — all of which can contribute to students’ academic success.

Physical activity and cognitive function

In a study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, researchers used real-time assessments and accelerometers to explore the relationship between physical activity and cognitive functioning in everyday life. (Accelerometers are tools that allow researchers to accurately measure physical activity by detecting movement patterns. They provide detailed insights into the frequency, intensity, and duration of a person’s daily activities, offering an objective and comprehensive assessment of activity levels.)

Participants wore accelerometers and underwent cognitive tests throughout the day, as well as self-evaluating their daily cognition each night. The results showed that increased physical activity or higher intensity levels led to both better performance on cognitive tasks and improved self-rated memory.

Physical activity and mood

Physical activity also serves as a mood booster. As research has found, those who work out regularly report having better mental health than those who are sedentary. This positive impact extends to the classroom, where students who feel happier and more motivated are naturally more focused during lessons and participate more actively in discussions, unlike those who may be struggling with low mood.

Physical activity and sleep

Something else — getting regular exercise can enhance sleep quality, which is a vital factor for achieving optimal brain function. With better sleep, we are more capable of making and storing memories.  For students, this means that improving sleep habits can likely boost their capacity to absorb and recall information from lectures and study sessions.

With its potential to enhance cognition, emotional well-being, and sleep quality, it’s clear that engaging in regular physical activity paves the way for greater academic success.

Indeed, a study published in the Journal of School Health analyzed physical fitness test scores and found that, among students, there was a significant correlation between fitness and academic achievement. 

Students with high fitness had significantly higher math and social studies scores; additionally muscular strength and endurance were significantly related to academic performance across all ages. 

How to include physical activity in the school day

Tips for students

Walk, jog, or bike to school

If you have the luxury of being just a walk away from school, take advantage of it! Map out your route and see how it feels to get some exercise in before sitting in class for hours. 

Not only can it be liberating to get to school by foot or bike (avoiding the plight of having to wait for the bus or your parents to drive you is huge) but it can also be significantly beneficial for your health and well-being. Tips for students to incorporate physical activity in the school day

One reason being that exercising helps lower cortisol levels (cortisol is the hormone known as the “stress hormone”) which in turn contributes to enhancing mood. 

Starting your day with a mood booster can leave you feeling more energized, helping you focus and actively engage with lessons in the classroom.

Walking, jogging, or biking to school offers an additional key benefit: increased exposure to sunlight.

When you get exposure to sunlight, you release serotonin, which is the neurotransmitter that primarily monitors feelings of well-being, happiness, and general mood. As such, higher serotonin levels can help you feel more positive throughout the day. 

Bonus Points: By biking or walking/jogging to school, you’ll be improving the environment by reducing the number of carbon dioxide emissions, greenhouse gases, and pollutants released into the atmosphere.

Take walks around campus during free time

In addition to increased exposure to sunlight, taking walks outside, and in general, spending time outdoors, can bring you many benefits. 

Even without a sprawling campus to explore, you can still unleash your creativity and discover hidden gems. Take a moment to wander and see what you find — whether that may be  a secluded garden or a tucked-away fountain.

Importantly, research has found that spending time in nature can lower your cortisol levels. As mentioned, cortisol is one of the main stress hormones, which, if constantly present, can lead to greater levels of anxiety, stress, depression, and insomnia. 

In fact, a study in Poland found that young adults who spent fifteen minutes walking in a park had lower stress levels afterwards.

Another study went a step further and compared the stress levels of participants who walked equal distances in nature versus an urban environment. Lo and behold, the researchers found that those who walked in nature had improved their mood. 

By including some outdoor time in your free periods, you can give yourself the gift of a natural mood-enhancer, in turn setting yourself up for more success during your next class.

Have spontaneous dance parties at lunch

Have you ever desperately needed a quick fix to shake off some stress in the middle of the school day? Maybe you were called on by one too many teachers when you didn’t have your hand raised; or perhaps you just walked out of yet another physics class feeling completely bewildered by Bernoulli’s Equation.

If you’ve experienced it, you already know — a dance party can be the perfect remedy for quick stress relief. But rather than doing it alone in the closet, you can invite your friends to join in. Maybe you’ll even make some friends as more people hop on your bandwagon!

The best part? After your dance party, you’ll likely feel a noticeable boost — happier, less stressed, and more prepared to take on another challenging algebra lesson on systems of linear equations.

Bonus Points: These dance parties might offer more than just a brief lift in mood. In fact, research has found that tiny bursts of physical activity  can significantly reduce the risk of disease.

Get really into gym class

Hear me out…if you get past the age-old fear of being picked last for kickball, gym class can be really fun! 

Just try it — one day, get super into whatever you’re doing in gym. Whether it’s capture the flag, dodgeball, or four square, pretend it’s your job. Take it very seriously and make it clear to your friends that, while you may have been friends the period before, it’s a whole different ball game when it comes to gym. You’re here to win!

If your enthusiasm ends up being contagious, you’ll not only have a ton of fun, but you’ll also spread those great mood-boosting, stress-relieving benefits to your friends — which can carry over into your next classes and help foster more engaging, productive, and exciting lessons and discussions.  

Tips for parents

Have family fitness time

When’s the last time you carved out time to do something active as a family?

Forget about all the health benefits for a second. Beyond that, having a regular window for family fitness can be plain old fun! 

Often, when life gets busy, the only thing we can do is hold on to our sanity and try to get everything done. This inevitably seems to translate to seeing less of the people we love. 

By making the conscious decision to carve out time for family fitness, you’ll get to work on your physical health and promote positive habits among your family while also getting to spend more time with your loved ones. 

Bonus Points: Spice it up and alternate between different fitness activities such as yoga, HIIT, kickboxing, pilates, and running. Figure out what you like best!

Become best friends with your local parks

If you live near a park, take advantage of everything it has to offer. Often, parks contain so many undiscovered treasures that have been right under your nose (such as old historic sites, funky flower gardens, and traveling duck flocks).

Take the whole family on a park excursion and see what you find.

Try to focus fully on the present moment by solely engaging with your surroundings and the people around you. Let go of external distractions like work, social media, or your weekend plans. In doing so, you may find yourself reconnecting with your family — something you may have been meaning to do for some time anyway!

Bonus Points: Create a scavenger hunt for the whole family, seeing who can find the most items in the park. (Think: flowers, tire swing, bike, insect, sports equipment, etc.)

Start a household fitness leaderboard

When trying to engage kids in fitness, if all else fails, bring a little competition and some gold stars into the mix. There’s something about pitting each family member against each other (In a friendly manner, of course! ;)) that gives everyone an energy boost. 

Create a weekly leaderboard on which each family member tracks their progress in different fitness tasks (push-ups, sit-ups, burpees, etc.).

At the end of each week, have a family meeting during which everyone can share and celebrate their fitness feats throughout the week. Having this posted up for everyone to see can be a great tool for encouraging accountability and reminding your family members to be proud of their fitness progress.  

A little friendly competition paired with the weekly celebrations and sharing sessions will help your family not only get into fitness but also start having regular family bonding time. 

Tips for teachers

Have movement breaks

You know those brief periods between tasks where students end up chatting with their neighbor, pulling out their phones, or getting into some type of mischief? Instead of having this be a free-for-all, use this time for movement breaks. This might entail encouraging students to stretch, practice light agility exercises (like high knees, butt kicks, or lunges), or engage in a fun activity like freeze-dance.

Bonus Points: Allocate one day where, for each movement break, students compete with each other in different fitness “events” (pushups, sit ups, burpees, etc.). Inviting some friendly competition into the classroom can provide students with the perfect opportunity to release some of their pent up energy before getting back to business.

Take walking field trips

Field trips where students get the chance to move around can be the perfect combination of movement and learning. If your budget allows for local field trips, focus on destinations that promote active exploration, such as self-guided museums or outdoor mural tours.

Ideas to consider:

  • Take a trip to a local park and learn about different plants and/or wildlife.
  • Head to local amphitheaters or outdoor arts/culture centers and learn about their history. 
  • Venture to the museums near your school and create a scavenger hunt for students — fun, promotes learning, and also encourages walking!

Bonus Points: Choose a field trip destination within walking distance of the school. Not only does this encourage even more physical activity, but it also creates a unique opportunity for the class to connect, bond, and engage with one another along the way.

Play beach ball spelling games

Research suggests that tapping into the power of novelty can spark curiosity and excitement in children. As such, one of the best ways to inspire a love for learning is by breaking away from the traditional classroom routine. And you can do this by incorporating movement into your lessons!  

The beach ball spelling game is an easy way to incorporate physical activity into learning — simple, yet a crowd-pleaser among students of all ages.  

There are several ways you can play this game, and the best part is that you can cater it to the age/skill level of your students.

Letter identification game (best for students ages 4-6)

  1. Decorate a large beach ball with all letters of the alphabet.
  2. Have students stand in a circle and toss the ball around.
  3. Each time someone catches the ball, instruct them to find a different letter. If they get it right, let them pick the next letter that the next student finds.

Rhyming game (best for students ages 6-8)

  1. Decorate a large beach ball with various words.
  2. Have all students stand in a circle and toss the ball around.
  3. Each time someone catches the ball, instruct them to identify which word their thumb landed on, and come up with as many rhyming words as they can. 
  4. To invite some friendly competition into the classroom, create a student leaderboard for who can name the most rhymes.

Vocabulary game (best for students ages 8-10)

  1. Decorate a large beach ball with various vocabulary words that your students have been working on.
  2. Have all students stand in a circle and toss the ball around.
  3. Each time someone catches the ball, instruct them to define the word that their thumb landed on. Bonus points if they can use it in a sentence!

Final thoughts

Whether you’re a parent, student, or educator, there’s one last thing you should keep in mind: Taking the steps to include more physical activity into the school day doesn’t mean that you suddenly have to become a marathon runner. 

Take it day by day and perhaps adopt a trial-by-error approach. See what works for you. By experimenting, you’ll learn about what you like and dislike when it comes to exercise while also reaping the vast benefits of engaging in physical activity. 

Whether it’s a quick walk, a fun game, or structured exercise, starting small can lead to big benefits. Lke any new habit, it may take time to adjust. But stay consistent, and the rewards will be well worth it!