St Ninians School Prompts Research Into Whether All Primary School Children Be Made To Walk Or Run A 'Daily' Mile

Researchers are looking into whether all primary school children should be required to walk or run for at least one mile a day.

St Ninians school in Stirling has already run the scheme, called the "daily mile", for three years in a bid to keep children active.

Stirling University researchers are now looking into whether this should be adopted across all schools in the UK.

They will be comparing the children from St Ninians to another school in Stirling who don't use the scheme.

Elaine Wyllie, headteacher of St Ninians, told MailOnline: "I get at least two emails a day from other schools and local authorities asking how we do it.

"The thought of children across the country running every day because of something we’ve done is phenomenal."

At St Ninians, pupils are taken out of their lessons at a convenient time during their timetables.

The school has a circuit around the playing field where children will walk or run before returning back to lessons.

Wyllie said she thinks the scheme is a "common sense" approach to children's fitness.

She added: "The most important thing is that the children really enjoy it, otherwise you couldn’t sustain it. They come back in bright-eyed and rosy-cheeked, how children used to look. It’s joyous to see."

Dr Colin Moran, leading the study, told the Guardian: "The children [at St Ninians] don’t seem to have problems with obesity; they seem happier and staff say they settle into lessons faster, so we designed a study that would test all of these things.

"There is a lot of anecdotal evidence about the benefits but there aren’t any scientific facts yet."

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Since news of the scheme has come out, other primary schools in London, Wales and Scotland have adopted the "daily mile", reports the MailOnline.

Kevin Clelland, a teacher at Thorner Church of England primary school in Leeds, said his school is planning to adopt it, too.

He told The Guardian: "It’s such a simple thing to do but seems to have such an amazing impact."

Fitness and Health Myths You Need to Stop Believing

"I have to spend at least one hour in the gym to see results."(01 of05)

Holland feels that this is one of the most misunderstood aspects of exercise. “This myth actually plays into the No. 1 reason people cite for not exercising, namely lack of time,” he said. “There is now significant research indicating that smaller bouts of exercise done throughout the day can yield big results.” He also explained that even breaking 30 minutes of activity into three separate 10-minute sessions throughout the day can produce the same effect. “Even one- to two-minute, short bursts of exercise have significant value over time,” he added. Photo Credit: ShutterstockClick Here to See More Fitness and Health Myths You Need to Stop Believing

"I’m exercising, so I can eat whatever I want."(02 of05)

“Research has shown that combining healthy eating and diet is the ‘secret’ to losing weight and keeping it off long term,” Holland said. “Burning a few hundred calories through exercise and reducing caloric intake by a few hundred each day will lead to one to two pounds of weight lost per week—a realistic and sustainable goal.”Photo Credit: Shutterstock

"If I eat organic or gluten-free, I’ll lose weight."(03 of05)

“Many food companies have made making healthy food choices increasingly difficult over the past few decades with increasingly bold, and often confusing, marketing tactics,” Holland explained. “Just because a product is advertised as healthy does not necessarily mean it is.” He suggests that you always read labels carefully and choose foods that have the least number of ingredients. Also, aim to buy products made with ingredients that you recognize. “Look for total calories, and try to choose foods that are the least processed and in their most natural state,” he said.Photo Credit: ShutterstockClick Here to See More Fitness and Health Myths You Need to Stop Believing

"I can get great abs with lots of crunches."(04 of05)

Holland debunks this myth in plain and simple terms: “You cannot ‘spot-reduce’ and ‘tell’ your body where to get rid of fat stores by doing exercises that target that region.” He explained that yes, crunches will help to strengthen your abdominal muscles, but ab exercises alone will not result in belly fat reduction. “In order to flatten your stomach, you need to decrease your overall body fat percentage along with the fat layer,” Holland said. “This comes from a combination of healthy eating and doing regular cardiovascular exercise.”Photo Credit: Shutterstock

"Exercise is more important than diet."(05 of05)

When it comes to achieving true health and fitness success, Holland stressed the importance of incorporating both exercise and diet into your daily routine. One isn’t necessarily more important than the other. It’s important to create a balance that includes both. “Trying to achieve weight loss through either diet or exercise alone is extremely difficult, and it’s also one of the main barriers to achieving your health and fitness goals,” Holland said.Click Here to See Fitness and Health Myths You Need to Stop BelievingPhoto Credit: Shutterstock

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