Outdoor PE in cold weather

[ads36]

Quote

Unless the child has a health problem I see nothing wrong with it.

you're right, it won't kill them.

 

or will it? fast-forward a few decades, and people who should be healthy, robust, active, 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 year olds, are instead queuing up at the doctors, often simply through lack of exercise (over a lifetime).

 

if you could condense the health-benefits of regular exercise into pill-form, you'd win a nobel prize.  it's the closest thing we have to a silver bullet for cancer, alzheimers, heart disease, and a wide variety of life-limiting conditions.

Edited December 5, 2018 by ads36

[Cyclone]

53 minutes ago, ads36 said:

my 2p.

 

if you wanted to design a system, that led to kids (and then adults) hating exercise. you'd probably include school PE, outside, in winter, in the rain andor cold.

 

oh look, we've got a nation of unhealthy chubsters, overwhelming the NHS with their life-style induced ailments.

 

looks like it worked...

 

PE can and should be fun, if we want to teach kids/young adults that it's an important and easily integrated part of daily life.

 

(if we insist that PE means cold, wet, mud. then we shouldn't be surprised that more or less everyone stops doing any exercise the minute they leave school)

 

 

 

 

 

We have of course just had a long dry hot summer and autumn...  PE wasn't cancelled through that period, so clearly it won't all be mud, cold and rain.

Perhaps though they're being taught a lesson about not giving up on something just because it's a little bit unpleasant.

7 minutes ago, ads36 said:

you're right, it won't kill them.

 

or will it? fast-forward a few decades, and people who should be healthy, robust, active, 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 year olds, are instead queuing up at the doctors, often simply through lack of exercise (over a lifetime).

 

if you could condense the health-benefits of regular exercise into pill-form, you'd win a nobel prize.  it's the closest thing we have to a silver bullet for cancer, alzheimers, heart disease, and a wide variety of life-limiting conditions.

Haven't you reversed things though?  The LACK of exercise, starting with PE might contribute to an earlier death.

But DOING exercise, even when it's raining, that won't kill them, it might actually keep them alive.

[Longcol]

To me it depends how old the kids are.

 

In my teens the Penistone Grammar School cross country used to go onto the moor near Scout Dyke - fine for teenagers but not summat I'd expect a kid under 10 to do.

 

If as a parent I'd sent my  5 year old out to play in sub zero temperatures in their undies I'd be expecting a visit from social services and a possible charge of child neglect.

[Top Cats Hat]

I don't think that the temperature has much to do with it. It is instilling an enthisiasm for the activity that is more important.

 

I used to hate doing cross country even on a nice sunny day because I've never liked running (still don't!). However when I went to big school I started to play rugby and really enjoyed it. I remember playing in the snow one winter's day and one of my classmates said that I must have been mad playing in the snow .

 

I realised that I hadn't really noticed that it was actually snowing because I was having such a good game!

[Gideon]

57 minutes ago, Top Cats Hat said:

I don't think that the temperature has much to do with it. It is instilling an enthisiasm for the activity that is more important.

 

I used to hate doing cross country even on a nice sunny day because I've never liked running (still don't!). However when I went to big school I started to play rugby and really enjoyed it. I remember playing in the snow one winter's day and one of my classmates said that I must have been mad playing in the snow .

 

I realised that I hadn't really noticed that it was actually snowing because I was having such a good game!

I think there's a large amount of truth there.

School PE, for me, is one of the two or three most traumatic things I ever went through at that age (and considering one of those was some ******* trying to run me over, that says much.) There are a few things in there I quite enjoyed, and if I could have concentrated on those, I might have come away with a more positive outlook on the whole business. but football, athletics and especially rugby left me with my sole association with them being pain, misery, fear and humiliation. They were never fun to begin with (I wasn't especially good at them) and the fact that the PE teachers tended towards the "getting bullied and beaten up will toughen you up" school of thought just made matters worse. Playing a contact sport with people who legitimately want to hurt you is a subtle form of torture.
 

[helloitsonly]

20 minutes ago, Gideon said:

I think there's a large amount of truth there.

School PE, for me, is one of the two or three most traumatic things I ever went through at that age (and considering one of those was some ******* trying to run me over, that says much.) There are a few things in there I quite enjoyed, and if I could have concentrated on those, I might have come away with a more positive outlook on the whole business. but football, athletics and especially rugby left me with my sole association with them being pain, misery, fear and humiliation. They were never fun to begin with (I wasn't especially good at them) and the fact that the PE teachers tended towards the "getting bullied and beaten up will toughen you up" school of thought just made matters worse. Playing a contact sport with people who legitimately want to hurt you is a subtle form of torture.
 

oh dear what was up with your school then?? nobody liked PE except for the ones who excelled at sports, i wasnt one of them i hated it but i am glad i did it, it taught me not to give up, it taught me how to handle people who thought they were superior because they could kick a ball better, PE was good for us in all weathers and if you tried to improve the teachers usually recognised it but still took the micky but you know what it made me stronger and did toughen me up although i wasnt weak anyway.

[ads36]

6 hours ago, Cyclone said:

DOING exercise, even when it's raining, that won't kill them, it might actually keep them alive.

We're talking about teenagers, exercise or not, they're practically immortal.

 

We need to get adults exercising, and that means teaching teenagers that exercise can be pleasant, exciting, fun, etc.

 

Clearly, the experience of PE is teaching a large fraction of our nation that exercise is something to be avoided.

 

 

Edited December 5, 2018 by ads36

[redruby]

Anyone apart from those with disabilities or conditions that prevent it should get some exercise outside all year round.  Spending too much time indoors in stuffy, overcrowded, overheated rooms is a recipe for bugs to multiply and spread viruses. Spending time outside exercising will strengthen your immune system and help stop bugs taking hold.  Exercising outside in the cold is also a great fat burner. 

[Cyclone]

53 minutes ago, ads36 said:

 

Clearly, the experience of PE is teaching a large fraction of our nation that exercise is something to be avoided.

 

 

I've no idea how you've concluded that.

 

Are you blaming the state of the nations health entirely on your perception of PE?

Edited December 5, 2018 by Cyclone

[*_ash_*]

8 hours ago, Cyclone said:

Kids would generally not want to learn, not want to be at school, not want to do PE and not want to eat their vegetables.

As adults we require them to do certain things that they don't want to because we do actually know better.

From what I understand most schools are far better equipped these days than they used to be.

The member did only say 'not enough exercise' though. Almost certainly the bold is the case, but that doesn't mean they get used [/as much]. In middle school, I recall the indoor equipment consisted of a load of mats (that I seem to remember were a bit manky) - and some plastic light footballs. I think there was an old wooden vault-horse thing, that was quite frankly nothing short of terrifying.

 

I bet school equipment now is far better than this!

Edited December 5, 2018 by *_ash_*