Sitting on Yoga Balls Improves Students Productivity & Health

Chuck the chair

We've already told you how bad sitting all day can be for your health. Now teachers are finding ways to get the most out of their students while they sit in class. Robbi Giuliano, a fifth-grade teacher at Westtown-Thornbury Elementary School, switched her students chairs for yoga balls. She says it has raised their productivity, and has helped their focus while improving their balance and core strength. The sitter must work to stay balanced, so the balls force muscle engagement and increase blood flow, leading to more alertness. The exercise gear is part a larger effort to modernize schools based on research linking physical activity with better learning, said John Kilbourne, a professor of movement science at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich. (Today)

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