Physical education and health has always been linked. Plato and Aristotle themselves already identified activity in classical Greece as an indispensable factor for achieving health. However, today we are faced with a somewhat worrying reality regarding health.
Today’s youth are changing habits, moving towards sedentary and unhealthy behaviors, which, in the near future, can alarmingly increase diseases caused by these new habits.
But… what is health?
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines this term as a complete state of mental, physical, and social well-being, emphasizing the absence of disease.
Among the physical aspects, authors like Rojo-González (2003) argue that it helps control glucose, reduces the risk of mortality, improves the ability to use fatty acids… At MundoEntrenamiento.com we have already addressed on multiple occasions the numerous beneficial effects that exercise provides us in health.
Obesity at early ages is already a social reality and undoubtedly this is one of the most important problems present in today’s society. We can affirm, according to some studies, that fat levels in children and adolescents are increasing significantly (2).
Physical education and health
From the educational field, we can affirm that in the early stages (Primary and Secondary Education) it is essential to work on content related to health and thereby instill habits that contribute to bringing us as close as possible to an active and healthy lifestyle, as a way for future society to reduce the health problems that occur today (2).
The physical education teacher, along with the rest of the educational community, must work hand in hand to ensure these aspects are strengthened and create a meaningful learning that serves the student to apply throughout their future life. Within the area, we must always promote activity and make students reflect on the role that exercise plays in achieving healthy lifestyle habits for the general population and young people in particular.
The educational system presents an ideal environment to address these situations. However, the area of physical education is limited to scarce and insufficient weekly working hours. We must defend and recognize the importance of the subject and thus achieve an increase in weekly hours (5, 6).
The benefits of physical education impact, as we have already seen, all aspects of health: physical, mental, social, and emotional, which leads us to a better quality of life.
A large number of experts argue that diet and the reduction of physical activity are the basis of the obesity problem at early ages. With the increase in hours of this subject, we would enhance working hours and raise greater awareness among young people, so they establish solid healthy habits.
We must not forget that the family environment must support physical-sport practice and avoid overprotection that in many cases harms the young person, making them more sedentary and less prepared for future integration into society.
Following authors like Navarro (3), physical activity is increasingly recommended as treatment. Without a doubt, I believe we must change this conception and recommend exercise as a means to prevent and tackle the problem from an early age.
Laying the foundations of a healthy lifestyle from the youngest and later consolidating them through social policies and the promotion of public sports services, working jointly from educational entities and from the family itself.
Public investment in the training of professionals in the sector (graduates in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences) should be directed towards occupying the jobs for which they have been trained and not in other unqualified people. All this creates intrusion and above all, affects the quality of service that citizens should receive (4).
Conclusion
Physical education thus becomes a necessary and fundamental means to promote an active lifestyle, consolidating healthy habits for the present and future of the young person. The area teacher must work together with the educational community to strengthen these contents and generate meaningful learning.
The benefits of physical education are more than contrasted in all areas (physical, cognitive, social, and emotional), achieving a direct impact on the person’s health. Therefore, it is deemed necessary to increase the hours of physical education per week, to help in the task of promoting a non-sedentary lifestyle and laying those healthy foundations.
Bibliography
- Rojo-González (2003). An analysis of physical activity for health. In Multidisciplinary Meetings 14(5).
- Pérez and Tamayo (2008). Physical education and sport as the basis of a healthy society of the future. Digital Magazine: Buenos Aires.
- Granada Ferrero I. (2009). Physical education and health: an analysis of their relationships and social dimension. Autonomous University of Madrid.
- Tercedor Sánchez, P. (2001). Physical activity, physical condition, and health. Wanceulen. Seville.
- Sánchez Bañuelos, F. (1996), Physical activity oriented to health. Madrid: Inde.
- García Ferrando, M. (2006). Postmodernity and sport. Between individualization and massification. Madrid.
