The schools taking a stand against too much sitting down
B It is part of a
programme called Active Movement devised by Dr
Mike Loosemore, a researcher from University College London, who has led
research into the diseases caused by a sedentary lifestyle. The school
programme is not about the dangers of missing out on the recommended 150
minutes a week of moderate exercise. Even a thirty minute run after work
can’t repair the damage caused by hours of sitting. “Sitting can create inflammatory cytokines which damage the lining of the arteries and the brain,
leading to heart attacks and strokes and some cancers,” says Dr Loosemore. “We know it can lead to diabetes and
even Alzheimers.”
C Some researchers believe
sitting has become worse in the age of screen-based social media and
computer games. But children represent an opportunity to bring about a change
of heart. Dr Loosemore uses the characters Sid, who sits, and Stan, who stands,
to personalize for children the critical choice between sitting and standing. Children at the Old School House are
well aware of the benefits of “being Stan” at every opportunity. Pupils
stand up to answer a question in class or when the head teacher enters the
classroom with a visitor. Standing has been given a positive spin – anyone
celebrating a birthday is allowed to stand up whenever they want to. Champions
from each of the school’s houses wear pedometers.
D Pupils agree that such
innovations have injected a buzz
about activity into school life. “Once, people used to sit around, now you
hardly ever see them sitting,” says Josh, a top-year pupil. Molly, who
is also in her final year, has noticed a new social pressure to be active. “If
there was someone who was jogging because they were really fit, it would be
really embarrassing if you were in the car eating crisps,” she says. Becky says:
“If you’re sitting down your muscles are all relaxed and you droop down, whereas if you’re standing
you're holding yourself up, and you have better posture.”
E Abberley
Parochial Primary’s head teacher, Anne Wylie, says that movement has made it
more effective. “It’s been known for a long while that activity improves
children’s energy,” she says. “But we’ve found it has also helped them to
concentrate.” But the Active Movement programme is not principally designed to
make already largely fit children into athletes. Its aim is to instil lifelong habits and create a
generation of children who will work with their bodies to stay healthy.
Adjusted
to (1)
inflammatory cytokine – zánětlivý signální
protein
buzz
– vzrušení, potěšení, hukot
droop
down – ochabnout
instill
– vštípit postoje
1) Read the
article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.
1 Sid and
Stan
2 Children
fight with the diseases
of old age
3 Loosemore
says sitting causes a lot of diseases
4 Movement helps to concentrate and
stay healthy
5 Pupils’
opinions
2) Read the
article and answer the questions.
1 What is special
about Old School House?
2 Who is Mike
Loosemore? What does he say?
3 Why do
people sit more nowadays?
4 What can
be caused by sitting?
5 What do
pupils think about the change?
3) Explain
the following words and phrases.
1 sedentary
lifestyle
2 moderate
exercise
3 screen-based
social media
4 top-year
pupil
5 have
better posture
4) Answer the
following questions.
What are benefits of child’s
movement? How does it influence learning? How does it influence health? What is
outdoor and indoor play? What opportunities do they offer to children?
Video:
Tips, sources of information:
Source:
(1)
PIGOTT,
Robert. The schools taking a stand against too much sitting down. BBC
News [online]. 2015 [cit. 2015-09-20]. Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/education-33093809
