It is nearly a year to the day since the PE department conceived the idea to complete the coast to coast mountain bike route. Since then sport at Fyling Hall School has come a long way. Whilst we have continued to commit to the core sports, which the school has had great success in over the years such as rugby and hockey, we have incorporated many new activities into our curriculum.

In the first week of the summer term we have offered athletics, rounders, cricket, tennis, badminton, football, HIIT sessions, cross country, golf and mountain biking! At the centre of this are the pupils. Our aim is to give every individual the opportunity to enjoy and pursue one of these activities, not just now but for many years to come.

So why get involved in a sport or activity?

It is important that pupils try to develop good habits and taking part in physical activity should be one of them. After all if we do not have our health, then our quality of life is likely to be very poor. More and more is being said about mental health issues and being active can significantly help to promote positive mental health and relieve stress.

Two studies have recently been conducted the first found that pupils not participating in sport prior to their exams to allow time for extra revision made no further progress. In fact it found that these pupils were far more stressed, anxious, unable to sleep and unhappy.

The second study of 2.8 million adults showed even slightly overweight people were twice as likely to get Type 2 diabetes and in some instances 12 times! A direct link has found that being obese can cause a 50% higher risk of dying prematurely from any cause. It is hard to ignore these numbers with such a large sample of the population being involved.

So what amount of exercise should I be doing?

If you are under 18, it is recommended that you do something active for an hour a day.

Over 18’s it is 30 minutes a day. What is probably more important though is the intensity of the activity should leave you slightly out of breath, and find it difficult to talk to someone as your breathing rate is increased. Being too warm is a good sign if you need to remove clothing. However the most important factor to help you achieve this is enjoyment! Find an activity you enjoy and you are far more likely to commit to it long term.

Mr Coates

Head of Games