It’s no secret that gymnastics can help with a myriad of issues, such as greatly reducing the risk of joint problems in old age, or even just giving you a greater sense of balance so that you aren’t tripping up over your own feet all the time.
Did you know however that Gymnastics can also help improve ones academic prowess?
When asked what changes they saw in their children after beginning gymnastics, many mothers stated the sort of improvements you would expect; An increase in strength, balance, gross motor skills and improve coordination, but many of them also reported their children getting better grades, and indeed studies have shown a correlation between gymnastics and improved brain efficiency.
Although most forms of fitness are likely to improve a childs self-confidence and social skills, the bilateral activities of gymnastics and the coordinated movement patterns, appear to increase efficiency in the brain. Studies have shown that efficient pathways create fluent readers and that students with D’s or F’s often find themselves with much higher grades after a few months of Gymnastics.
On the other hand, Gymnastics is hard.
When you place a group of children together and give them a fun task they will try their hardest to be the best, it’s human nature to be a little competitive, and thus they will gain discipline and willpower that will help them whilst studying for exams which will result in higher grades.
Humans have long known about the ties between physical and mental health though, a twenty minute walk can help a person feel much better about themselves, and people who’s career it is to sit and play video games have commented about how important physical exercise is to their mental state.
Oh and while we’re on the subject of video games, they have also shown to help improve a persons mental abilities, so long as one doesn’t sit playing them all day.
It’s easy to understand why exercise is so good for our minds though. No animals other than humans are cooped up inside their homes all day – Except maybe hermit crabs and turtles – And for thousands of years we were no different.
We had to move around and hunt, or risk dying, and that hardwired need for exercise has never truly left us, even if sometimes it seems like all we want to do is lounge on the sofa.