Saturday, June 21, 2014

The Exercise Crisis

The Case for 60 Minutes of School-Based Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity

Bushintai-Do Programs
School-based Bushintai-Do for all ages.
We begin our lives on a dramatic upward trajectory of physical development and activity. As infants, we wiggle, kick, and grasp. We progress to lifting our heads, and later, turning over unassisted. Eventually we crawl, then stand, stand, then walk--huge leaps in neuro-motor accomplishment. Our increased mobility as toddlers not only allows us to meet the physical demands of daily living, but also creates a platform for even geater neuro-motor accomplishments – running, riding a bike, swimming, jumping rope, throwing, climbing. Most of us master these skills as a normal part of childhood. At this point, a normal healthy child in an affluent peaceful society, has extensive opportunities for specialized motor skill development and moderate to vigorous physical activity. The greatest challenge they face is whether to choose team sports, dance, figure skating, gymnastics, snowboarding, martial arts, tennis, skiing, mountain biking, skateboarding, swimming, track and field, or any of the exciting possibilities that compete for the active child’s attention.

In previous generations, exercise was part of a child’s daily routine. The primary after school activity was “going out to play”. This included biking, hiking, running, swimming, tree climbing, hopscotch, jumping rope, capture the flag and other active games and pick-up team sports. It was unstructured, could be done nearly every day, and did not require being driven to practice. Today we know that this kind of active play develops the whole child. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that cognitive skills and motor skills develop through this dynamic interaction. Moderate to vigorous physical exercise affects the brain’s physiology and these physiological changes improve cognition, help prevent obesity, help treat depression, prevent many diseases, and lead to greater success – socially, emotionally, cognitively, and physically.

Integrate circuit training with a Bushintai-Do Belt Program.
Classroom-based exercise stations.
In spite of what may seem like many opportunities for physical activity and despite the well-documented benefits of exercise, according to The President’s council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, only one-third of American children are active on a daily basis. And of those who play team sports, only 25% of them get enough daily exercise. More concerning is that our children’s overall level of physical activity has decreased by 32% over the past 40 years, with the majority in need of more exercise. After school activities, PE classes, active transportation to and from school, and in-class physical activity are all needed to adequately meet the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity for our students. However, the Institute of Medicine reports that 48-69% of children and adolescents in the United States do not attend physical education classes in an average week. One potential high-impact solution is for schools to mandate a movement period during every school day. Second only to mandatory PE classes, in-class physical activity delivers the greatest amount and most consistent form of movement in a child’s day. Studies estimate that classroom-based activity will routinely add at least 20 minutes of the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity to a child’s day.

This would not be the first time American schools have taken the lead in confronting a serious health problem. Schools have been vaccinating children against illness for decades. School lunches, and more recently, breakfast programs, have helped fight malnutrition and food security issues among our children. The next big (and avoidable) health problem for our children is their lack of moderate to vigorous physical activity. As a result of this inactivity, children born today now have a life expectancy that is five years less than the previous generation. Schools need to take advantage of the opportunity they have, and make daily exercise mandatory for every student.

Integrate outdoor exercise options with Bushintai-Do Programs.
Exercise options for outdoor recess.
There will be opposition from those who say that valuable classroom time will be sacrificed. However, studies have shown that regular exercise--even if it means less classroom time--leads to academic gains. This is an opportunity to dramatically improve the lives of children and to prevent the eventual societal costs of the current exercise crisis. Our school system needs to once again take the lead in helping our children reach their physical, emotional, academic, and social potential.

David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor
Nancy Keller, Education Coordinator

Bushintai-Do Programs

Milton, Vermont

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

A Father's Day Message


Happy Father's Day

David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor
David Quinlan 
Starting when I was four years old, my brothers and I played baseball from the time the snow started to melt until it fell again. We played little league for six weeks each spring, but we also played whiffle ball, "backyard ball" (our own invention – a game in which the object was to hit three consecutive line drive outs), and hardball at the diamond we had set up in a hayfield. We strung chicken wire across some small saplings for a backstop, used seat cushions we found at the dump for bases, and eventually wore base-paths and an infield into the high grass, by the foot traffic of our endless games. The outfield remained in high grass, which slowed down some drives into the gap, but sometimes gave runners an extra base as outfielders dug for the ball.

My dad was our little league baseball coach for a few years. But long before that and long after those short summers, he supported my brothers' and my interest in the sport. He pitched to us, played catch with us, and never got mad about the windows we broke. We had a nine-panel window in our basement door, which happened to be dangerously close to home plate when we played in the backyard. I remember him calmly taking the door off the hinges and installing new panels, probably knowing they’d soon be knocked out by other foul tips, but he never complained.

As I watch my own son and daughter blazing like comets across the sky of my adult life, I marvel at their growth, I mourn the passing of their childhood, and I cling to its last moments. I watch in wonder as they become individuals – not just extensions of their mother and me – but unique individuals, on their way forward into their own separate lives. I celebrate their milestones – birthdays, accomplishments, personal bests- but I know that I could do without these moments. I'd be happy to stay where we are. I think I could stay calmly in the background, fixing the windows, for as long as they’d like to keep breaking them.

To my dad, and my children, Happy Fathers' Day!



David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor
Bushintai-Do Programs
Milton, Vermont