We all know that physical activity helps you focus, boosts your mood, and sets you up for a healthier, happier life. If your kids are in an online academic program like the ones offered through Excel Middle and High School, although they might take a health and fitness class, they might not be required to actually perform any exercises that get them up and moving. The last thing you want is your child living as a potato day and night! You have options for supplementing their current physical education though, and there are plenty of reasons to encourage your children to remain active.
Benefits of Physical Education
We can’t ignore the fact that physical activity helps students stay at or get to a body weight that is healthy for them as individuals. No one wants to lead their children toward the variety of health problems that arise due to inactivity, so encouraging some PE type activities will help them stay healthy and might even tune them in to practicing healthy habits for a lifetime.
But physical health isn’t the only benefit of activity. Let’s face it, we come in different natural shapes and sizes, so not everyone is going to match the chart that medical science has produced. Physical health is definitely not the only focus of a carefully planned physical education routine. The best benefit of physical activity is that active people get an energy boost, their mental health improves, and they tend to earn better grades in school.
Physical Education Ideas
At this point, you know you want your kids to be active while they’re enrolled in online school, but maybe you’re not sure how to go about it. That’s okay! Here are some ideas of how to get your kids up and moving to provide them the activity they need to improve their physical and mental wellbeing.
Train As A Family
If you’re up for it, install an interactive app that will help you train for a 5K jog or run. This can give you the chance to bond by encouraging each other to persist even when the going gets tough and one of you wants to quit. Here are some helpful apps that will give you the guidance you need to prepare:
- • Runkeeper (free)
- • Cardiocast (free)
- • Couch to 5k (about $3)
- • Nike Run Club (free)
- • Map My Run (free)
Make Healthy Choices Together
But you don’t have to train for a 5k to stay healthy as a family. You can also just keep track of your diet and make healthy choices together, too. Plenty of online tools and apps exist to help you take a look at health and fitness choices in a practical way by evaluating your family’s choices of food and activity. Myfitnesspal is an easy to use and practical free app that helps you evaluate your eating habits, helps you focus on movement, and allows you to set goals for yourselves.
YouTube Fitness
We would be ignoring a wealth of health and fitness knowledge if we didn’t draw your attention to the vast array of workout channels YouTube has to offer. Here are a few of the channels that are most popular and have the most selection for you to choose from:
- • Workout – This channel offers programs with no equipment or with dumbbells or barbells. There are videos featuring bodyweight calisthenics, cardio, as well as instructional videos for proper form.
- • Patrick Foy (Coach Foy) – Coach Foy features a variety of activities that generally don’t require any equipment other than a chair or a mat.
- • Roberta’s Gym – Roberta is your digital workout partner, so if you’re a little weirded out about working out with a person on the screen, you can join millions of others and follow Roberta as she leads you through a variety of workout options. She’s got routines for weight loss & cardio, enough daily workout routines that you and your student could do a different one every day of the year, and even workouts for target areas.
- • The Body Coach – This channel offers a 21 Days of Strength series, a playlist for First Steps to Fitness, some kettlebell routines, and a variety of workouts that require no equipment at all.
- • FitnessBlender – This channel is a popular one with hundreds of videos. They offer ab workouts, playlists of assembled individual exercises, full length 20 & 30 minute workouts, and great video resources covering workout tips.
Your student doesn’t have to be in a Physical Education classroom to explore their options and learn about persistence through physical activity. You can invest in workout equipment, but you don’t have to! Physical Education can be a family activity or something your child pushes themself with on their own. As long as they get up and get moving to improve their physical and mental wellbeing, you’re on the right track!
About Excel High School
Excel High School in an accredited online school that offers many different academic program options for student grade 6 through graduation. Our fully online, self-paced programs fit around your family’s schedule, and our support team is here help you along the way. If you’re not already a student with Excel High School but would like to learn more, feel free to check out our programs on our website. Still got questions? Feel free to reach out to us by text at 952-465-3700 or call us at 800-620-3844. Our staff will be happy to answer any questions you have and guide you to the best program for your individual needs.
