Want to boost your grades? A quick exercise break could help, according to new research from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. A study was published in July in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise. It found that just nine minutes of high-intensity interval training improved test scores for students between the ages of 9 and 12.
To participate in the study, the students first took a verbal comprehension test. Researchers logged their scores. Then the researchers asked the kids to complete simple exercises for nine minutes. These included squats, high knees, jumping jacks, and lunges. The kids performed each exercise for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of rest. After the exercise, the kids took another verbal comprehension test.
They took another test after a period of moderate-intensity cycling. The researchers compared all the test scores. Only high-intensity exercise improved the results.
Paper author Eric Drollette hopes teachers will use this data to help students. “Teachers could slot [exercise] in during transitions or before reading blocks, tests, or any task that demands sustained attention, without rearranging the room or finding extra space,” he said in an interview with Newsweek. “Physical education and physical activity are good for our rising generation.”
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