According to a 2024 study published on the website of the American Medical Association (AMA) people who perform two to four times above the recommended amount of moderate physical activity have a 26% to 31% lower all-cause mortality rate and a 28% to 38% lower risk of cardiovascular risk mortality. It is common knowledge that exercising is one of the best ways to keep the body and mind active and young. But, did you know that exercising could also make you understand, learn and perform better in academics?
Naperville, a western suburb in Chicago, Illinois is popular all over the globe for creating the fittest students in the United States of America. How so? Well, this is the result of a mind-boggling experiment written about by psychiatrist Dr John Ratey in his popular book, ‘Spark’.
Most high schools in the US have physical education classes consisting of a variety of sports such as football, volleyball, basketball, track and field, swimming and some basic athletics. While some excel in these activities so much that they dream of making them their careers, others enjoy them as a part of the routine and rest can’t wait till the class is over. Most of the time, the teachers also take it as a grading task and let it be.
Well, in Naperville, it seems things move differently. The gym teachers at the place conducted an educational experiment called ‘Zero Hour P.E.’ where they scheduled workout sessions before the class using treadmills, bikes, balls and other equipment. Here students facing difficulties in academics are not advised to study more, but to head to the gym class, where the competition is only focused on self-improvement. Along with transforming the lives of 19,000 students, the programme also transformed them into the fittest students in the nation and in some categories, the smartest ones in the world.
Academically, Naperville High School has been in the top 10 schools in the state, despite the fact that they spend less money on their students when compared to other high schools in the district.
Image credits: Getty Images
The students of this school took a test called the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TMISS) which is failed notoriously by American students whereas Asian students are among the top tier scorers in the test. 97% of the 8th grade students of the school took the test and the results were truly shocking. In the science section, the students finished just ahead of Singapore, number one in the world and in the maths section, they scored rank six globally. This was all possible because of Zero Hour P.E.
Exercise has positive effects on all functions of the brain. From moods and energy to learning and remembering, exercise helps all. Even people who suffer from diagnoses such as ADD and ADHD have a better time concentrating and learning with the help of exercise. Dr Ratey explained the same in the book, writing, “Exercise increases the concentration of both dopamine and norepinephrine, as well as other brain chemicals. I have always said that a dose of exercise is like taking a bit of Ritalin or Adderall. It’s similar to taking a stimulant. Second, over time, exercise helps build up the machinery to increase the amount of neurotransmitters in the brain as well as their postsynaptic receptors. Chronic exercise eventually causes growth of the system. The more fit that you are, the better the system works.”
Image credits: Getty Images
In an interview with ABC News, Paul Zientarski, chairman of the Physical Education Department at Naperville, explained the motive behind the programme, saying, “What we’re trying to do here is jump start their brain.” Dr Ratey also stated in an interview with the news website, “All their brain cells are working. And when their brain cells work, they pour out neuro transmitters, they also pour out these brain growth factors which help our brain cells knit together.”
In an era where children are more and more indulged in the digital world, sitting all day with devices in their hands, where schools are cutting physical education budgets to include more technology in learning, Naperville’s Zero Hour P.E. stands as a shining example of how physical exercise can keep the mind and body young and energetic.
