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Exercise boosts school grades for teenagers

The Romans said "healthy mind in a healthy body." Modern translation: Jumping jack flash!
Written by Mark Halper, Contributor
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Is it a stretch to think that this can get you into Harvard?

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I could have headlined this story Mens Sana in Corpore Sano, but Latin went out of fashion a while ago.

The phrase translates into that old saying, a healthy mind in a healthy body. It dates back to ancient Rome and once again we have evidence to believe in it: A study of about 5,000 children in Scotland showed that teenagers and younger children who exercised scored higher on academic tests.

Researchers at the universities of Strathclyde and Dundee "found an increase in performance for every 17 minutes boys exercised, and 12 minutes for girls," the BBC reported, noting that,"children who carried out regular exercise not only did better academically at 11 but also at 13 and in their exams at 16, the study suggested."

Dr. Josie Booth, a co-leader of the study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, said that, "Physical activity is more than just important for your physical health. There are other benefits and that is something that should be especially important to parents, policy-makers and people involved in education." (Don't forget the value of boredom, either.)

Most of the kids showed improvement even though they fell short of the recommended daily 60 minutes of exercise.

Just think how bright they could be if they put in that full hour. Jumping jack flash!

Image is from VersatileHealth.com

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This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

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