It’s a common theme for many students to be involved in physical extracurricular activities after school. Sports such as football, soccer, and basketball all elevate players health and fitness. However, what effects does fitness and sports have on academics in school?

Many people would agree that students should always be involved in some sort of physical activity in order to stay healthy but getting this physical activity may benefit scholarly activities as well.  According to the Center for Disease and Control (CDC), “Students who are physically active tend to have better grades, school attendance, cognitive performance.” Furthermore, cognitive performance means better memory and more critical thinking skills which lead to better scores on tests.

The amount of time recommended to be physically active is having an elevated heart rate for at least 60 minutes.

Additionally, this is why schools often have the HOPE fitness class as a requirement to graduate. With rising obesity levels in America, more fitness classes will more than likely be implemented in the future. This has the potential to increase the overall academic performance of students around the world too.

To continue, almost 70 percent of collegiate athletes graduate with a degree within 6 years. Division 1 athletes are expected to graduate with degrees at an increasing rate.

Although fitness might seem timid to some, students should attempt to participate in physical fitness in order to become the best version of themselves. Becoming a scholarly, fit student will increase the odds of academic success by at least ten-fold.