Analysis: Physical activity boosts our ability to revise, learn and think so why would we not want to make the most of this?<\/p>\n
By Simon Cooper<\/a>, Nottingham Trent University<\/a><\/p>\n It’s revision season. If you\u2019re a student preparing for upcoming exams, you might be tempted to put aside sport or other physical activity for a while in order to dedicate more time to learning. But exercise is extremely important for academic success<\/a>. Make time to be active. It may well help you revise better.<\/p>\n Doing some physical activity improves our ability to think and process information. My research with colleagues has shown this to be true for both primary school<\/a> and secondary school<\/a> pupils. In fact, when we consider the different types of cognition, such as perception, memory and attention, the domain where physical activity has the greatest benefit is executive function<\/a>. This is our ability to carry out complex, higher-level thinking. It\u2019s the domain that is linked to academic performance<\/a>.<\/p>\n Research has found that the beneficial effects of physical activity on cognition last for around 45 minutes<\/a>. This means it is important to have regular activity breaks to maximise the boost exercise gives to revision. You could try scheduling your revision in hour-long blocks: 45 minutes of work followed by 10 to 15 minutes of physical activity. This could be walking, running, body weight exercises such as squats, or even some stretching.<\/p>\n We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences<\/a><\/p>\n From RT\u00c9 Radio 1’s Brendan O’Connor Show, Prof Niall Moyna from DCU talks about teens and exercise <\/p>\n Perhaps most importantly, though, find an activity that you like. You\u2019ll then be more likely to incorporate it into your revision routine. So this could be a 10-minute walk after an hour of revision, a quick five-minute break for some squats or press-ups every half hour \u2013 or a morning swim or lunchtime run.<\/p>\n If you can, try to go outside for these breaks. My colleagues and I have recently carried out research showing that outdoor physical activity<\/a> is more beneficial than indoor physical activity for cognition. This was true for attention, memory and executive function, which we assessed using a battery of computerised tests. So, get up, take a break, get outside, get active and boost your revision.<\/p>\n You can also use the boost that exercise gives you on exam days. Perhaps take a pre-exam walk \u2013 it might help calm any nerves, too. There are many possible reasons why physical activity can boost your revision. For example, it can increase blood flow to the brain<\/a> and cause the release of chemicals called neurotransmitters<\/a> \u2013 the tiny signalling molecules which help our brains work more effectively.<\/p>\n We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences<\/a><\/p>\n From RT\u00c9 Radio 1’s News at One, how athletes like Kellie Harrington inspire kids to play sports<\/p>\n It\u2019s vital that schools keep in mind how important physical activity is during exam season, too. One challenge here is that, in many schools, the sports hall also becomes the exam hall. This is understandable given space requirements.<\/p>\n Rather than limiting opportunities for PE, though, it could seen as an opportunity to take school physical activity outside, and for teachers to find innovative ways to help their students get the extra cognition boost that comes from being outdoors. It\u2019s key that schools, parents and students themselves don\u2019t stop prioritising keeping active, even when there\u2019s so much revision to cram in. Of course, there is always a balance to be found, but physical activity boosts our cognition, revision and learning. Why would we not want to make the most of this?<\/p>\n I often use the term “unleashing the power of physical activity”. I encourage you to do just this during revision and exam season. Whether you (or your child, your class, or any young people you know) are revising for the Junior Cert, Leaving Cert or any other tests, the same applies \u2013 stay smart, and stay active.<\/p>\n Follow RT\u00c9 Brainstorm on WhatsApp<\/a> and Instagram<\/a> for more stories and updates<\/p>\n Simon Cooper<\/a> is a professor in Physical Activity and Health at Nottingham Trent University<\/a>. This article was originally published by The Conversation<\/a>.<\/p>\n The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RT\u00c9<\/p>\n