This program focuses on the positive effects of exercise for both physical and emotional health. Teenagers and young adults share personal stories about how exercise helped them achieve and maintain a healthy weight, build strength, develop endurance, improve agility, and boost self-confidence. Program describes the growing evidence that aerobic exercise remodels our brains, making us sharper mentally and providing protection against mood disorders. Young people describe how exercise helped them deal with depression, anxiety, and stress. The program concludes with concrete suggestions from an exercise physiologist on establishing an exercise routine that students can enjoy and stick with.
© Human Relations Media
Includes:
video, plus teacher’s resource book, student handouts and pre/post tests in digital format
DVD contains Spanish subtitles.
Reviews
Lack of exercise is becoming more prevalent in teens and society in general today. This is being attributed to smart phones, tablets, and the accessibility of television. Less physical movement has a negative effect on a person's health. Cardiovascular issues that are not usually seen till mid to late adult hood are being seen in teens. Benefits of Exercise provides a well blanaced outline of the benefits we receive mentally and physically from exercise, as told through the real life experiences of young adults. Visual aids are included depicting the positive processes our bodies are going through during exercise. The disc has a Teacher’s Resource Book that includes handouts, work sheets and other beneficial educational aids.
—Nicole Jesse, Librarian I, West Seneca Public Library
Educational Media Reviews Online (EMRO)
The film opens with a familiar overview of contemporary teens' busy schedules and sedentary lifestyles, including many hours spent in front of video screens. Short sections then outline the importance of cardiovascular health, muscle strength and endurance, and agility. Separate sections consider the contribution of exercise to emotional health and self-confidence. Three high school or college-age athletes—a baseball player, a distance runner, and a dancer—detail their fitness programs and discuss the benefits. These are interspersed with commentary from Dr. Cassandra Forsythe, a dietician, conditioning specialist, and author, as well as Dr. John Ratey, a psychiatry professor at Harvard Medical School who specializes in the connection between physical fitness and brain function. The program concludes with a brief "Getting Started" section encouraging viewers to get at least 30 minutes of daily exercise and to find an activity that suits individual interests. VERDICT Short, upbeat, and informative, this is recommended as a helpful introduction to an exercise unit in health or PE classes or for after-school programs.
—Bob Hassett, Luther Jackson Middle School, Falls Church, VA
School Library Journal