We have a responsibility for kids ’ fitness
The way we were …
Back in March 1997 , as Network was celebrating its 10th birthday , Network News carried a story on what makes a good aerobics instructor , which drew on the findings of a study by researchers from the Victoria University of Technology .
“ The study found that the most common factors which affect the participants ’ satisfaction with their instructor are the professionalism of the instructor ( e . g ., appearance and communication skills ), the type of music , satisfaction with their own effort and the level of instructor interaction . Interestingly , the more satisfied the participant was with the interaction , the less they cared about the technique of the instructor . When it came to the reason why the participants attended a particular aerobics class , instructor preference rated third after convenient time ( No . 1 ) and type of class ( No . 2 ).
It seems the adage “ it isn ’ t what you do , it ’ s the way you do it ” is surprisingly accurate when it comes to what makes a good aerobics instructor !”
1 thing I ’ ve learnt
Melony Dos Remedios , Marketing Manager and owner of PTA , ptacademy . edu . au
“ The single most important lesson I ’ ve learnt in business is to clearly define your culture ! In the past we had a vision or belief about the culture we wanted to create and didn ’ t communicate that vision effectively . I ’ ve learnt that if you don ’ t define and drive the culture of your business , it can be hijacked by dominant employees or even customers , leaving you with a team that needs constant micro-management .
Culture is what keeps your strategy alive when you ’ re not there . If you know what it is , you can make culture a top priority when hiring staff . If team members walk in the door with similar cultural values or beliefs , your job of driving performance will be much easier . Get it right and people who value what you stand for will seek you out to work with you .
Know exactly what culture you are trying to create , both with your staff and with your customers , and work to keep it alive every day !”
Kids ’ fitness , or a lack of it , is at crisis point , and the fitness industry needs to be proactive and do something about it .
The number of overweight Australian children has doubled since the 1980 ’ s . Their waistlines have expanded as a result of the accessibility of fast foods , sugar-loaded drinks ( boys aged between 14 and 18 consume an average 21 teaspoons of sugar a day ), couchbased entertainment and lack of activity . In addition to the health impacts , considerable research suggests that school children who don ’ t participate in daily physical activity don ’ t perform as well in the classroom .
Much of the blame can be placed on the fact that quantity and quality of physical education offered in Australian public primary and high schools is on the decline . At the primary school level , there are no specialist physical education teachers , with general teachers required to deliver the mandatory 6 to 10 per cent of PE curriculum , and research shows this allocation to be rarely met . At high school level , there are specialist PE teachers , but PE time on the curriculum is increasingly under pressure due to the heavy emphasis on academic results . In addition , school sport is no longer mandatory , with responsibility shifted to parents and local sporting associations .
The benefits of quality physical education and school sport go way beyond the development of physical skills . Children who are physically active on a daily basis have better movement and co-ordination skills , improved cognitive performance , greater attention span and better memory .
An interesting piece of research involving over 19,000 students in a district of Chicago backed this up . The school district had a crisis on its hands : 30 per cent of students were overweight and the majority had poor academic results . The focus of the study was to measure the impact of a structured physical activity program before , during and after school . Heart rate monitors were used to monitor exercise intensity for all body types and fitness levels . To establish a baseline measure for academic performance prior to the implementation of the exercise program , the students sat an international maths and science competition – as expected , they performed poorly .
When the students were tested two years later , only 3 per cent were considered overweight , and when they re-sat the academic competition they came first in the world in science and sixth in maths . The only thing that was manipulated was the amount of physical activity they did each day at school .
It ’ s a ‘ no brainer ’ – daily vigorous physical activity not only reduces obesity in school children , it also increases their academic performance . As an industry we cannot ignore these facts . We should reach out to schools in our communities to offer our support and expertise , perhaps in the form of free before and after-school workouts . Remember , if you give a little to your community , it will reward you many times over .
Nigel Champion , Executive Director director @ fitnessnetwork . com . au
NETWORK SUMMER 2016 | 9