Create and Cultivate: Is it Time for a Fitness Revolution in your School?
Long gone are the days where physical activity provided the main source of entertainment for secondary school pupils. The game has certainly changed over recent years and a new age of advancing technology and social media has well and truly captivated our audience of adolescents. There’s no denying that the majority of pupils today are more likely to submerge in a cyber world, than eagerly exert their energy pursuing a range of physical activities. Pupil cardiorespiratory fitness levels are in decline and, as a result, engaging pupils in physical activity within the school day has become less of an educational requirement and more of a health-risk reducing necessity.
So, what can be done to combat inadequate cardiorespiratory fitness levels of the pupils we teach? Here are some top tips to help create and cultivate a fitness revolution in your school:
1. Educate:
Expose the health risks associated with poor cardiorespiratory fitness and highlight the benefits of exercise. Pester whoever you have to in order to shout about the effects of each in assemblies and lessons across your campus and do it loudly!
Raise awareness about the pitfalls of a sedentary lifestyle. Watching more television is not recommended but this informative clip could provide the perfect platform to initiate your campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F5Sly9JQao
Dedicate time during PE and Games sessions for intense exercise. Many pupils are blissfully unaware of where their physical limits really lie; we must build their tolerance for activities that require maximal effort and exertion and we must do this frequently.
Always tell your pupils why. Teenagers are notoriously curious and have a tendency to be dismissive if they are not convinced by your lack of reasoning on any given topic. Be sure to explain what they stand to gain from each and every exercise; understanding promotes investment.
2. Facilitate:
Fitness is for everyone, so make it accessible and inclusive. If there’s no time for it within your curriculum, provide plenty of options for your pupils outside of the school day and open the doors of your ‘health’ clubs to absolutely everyone.
One-size really can fit-all! There is no need to categorise fitness groups by ability, sessions can be time-bound rather than output or distance dependent. This ensures the group always finishes together, which diverts attention away from weaker pupils and promotes a sense of community and camaraderie.
Diversify to multiply. Most pupils associate fitness with copious amounts of running, so make sure you dispel this misconception and show just how broad the training spectrum can be. It’s time to know your AMRAPs from your HIIT!
Throw away the carrot and the stick. It’s a well-known fact that pupil behaviour can be coerced by the parameters of reward and punishment. Whilst this method is undeniably effective in establishing control, it does not elicit long-term investment or intrinsic motivation to improve. Celebrate attendance and effort to engage your pupils in persevering for progress.
Don’t be a know-it-all. Encourage your pupils to fend for themselves for new fitness ideas; there are some great resources online, so be sure to recommend sites that you deem credible and appropriate. www.darebee.com has hundreds of workout ideas and fitness challenges that are bound to keep your pupils busy out of school hours.
3. Stimulate:
Do as I do and lead by example. This doesn't mean you have to be at the peak of physical fitness, just be willing to step in as often as possible and sweat it out with the troops. Be brave and practice what you preach, your efforts will earn unrivaled respect!
Image is always important. Allow pupils to wear what they like to extra-curricular fitness-based sessions; it’s a minor compromise that reaps major rewards. Not only will your pupils will feel more comfortable working out, you’ll inadvertently start a craze for the latest training gear, which is free marketing for your fitness franchise!
Music is a motivator. Stay on top of the charts and keep your workout playlists up-to-date. This will create a more enjoyable training environment and also works wonders for boosting energy levels. If music just isn’t your thing, sign up for Spotify Premium and get your pupils to take ownership and plug in their favourite playlist.
Fitness can be frightening. It’s no secret that the fitness industry works hard to make grueling sessions more appealing to the masses, consider the popularity of Body Pump or Ab Attack, for instance. Steer away from labeling training as ‘fitness’ in your school and have some fun branding your sessions with an individual identity, for example, Velocity (speed session), Overload (weight training) or Sweat (circuits).
4. Innovate:
Think outside the box. Combat the Common Room as much as the pupil body and organise opportunities for your colleagues to get involved in the action. A weekly staff bootcamp could provide the perfect chance to recruit some new role models for the revolution. There really is no better way of showing your pupil body that exercise is for all shapes and sizes, abilities and ages.
A picture says a thousand words. Promote pupil involvement in additional sessions by taking a photo of the group that showed up and hustled through. Pin or post the photos in a public area so that everyone can see who’s making both physical and cardiorespiratory gains.
Your girls can. Do everything in your power to alter the attitudes towards exercise amongst your self-conscious senior girls. Provide ‘girls only’ fitness sessions and then push them hard! They are guaranteed to surprise you, they will surprise themselves and, if encouraged, this difficult demographic could soon become your most loyal fitness followers.
Be shameless and exploit pupil desire for team kit. When your sessions gain popularity, reward your regulars with a strip worth celebrating, allow the group to design an appropriate training top to unify the committed crusaders.
This fitness philosophy has been developed and integrated into curricular and co-curricular life at Marlborough College Malaysia with astounding success. A culture is undoubtedly emerging within the community and the health and fitness revolution is rapidly gathering momentum.
In this ever-evolving environment we must be prepared to adapt and innovate. If we are to fulfill our role as educators of physical fitness and health we cannot simply fall into the trap of enforcing exercise for all. Likewise, we cannot afford to ignore the disengaged and solely invest our energies in striving for excellence. At Marlborough College Malaysia, we believe that success should never be limited to hoards of sporting silverware but should extend further to include, and celebrate, the increasing number of pupils participating in voluntary exercise outside of the compulsory framework. We strive to empower our pupils with the knowledge and motivation to invest in their body, fitness and health, not just now but beyond schooling and far into the future. After all, the body is the only place in the whole world that any of us really has to live in.
Asha Niven
Head of Girls’ Games and Head of PE
Marlborough College Malaysia