At school, the inside border of the playground could be suitable to use as a jogging track if one is not outlined on the school playground. Some schools have an outside border of asphalt and that could be a choice for jogging.
Many schools have an annual jog-a-thon to raise money for school projects. This is about the tempo of jogging I recommend for kids to do as stress reduction. It certainly should not be racing speed. We're talking about getting some of the aerobic benefits of running without creating more stress in competition!
I recommend the first hundred yards be walking with arms swinging back and forth in opposition - that means when the right foot steps forward, the left hand and arm swing forward. And when the left foot steps forward, the right hand and arm swing forward.
After this period of walking warm up, the slightly faster pace of jogging can begin. I think of jogging as a slow run. The arms are in a different position then walking, though. For jogging the elbows are bent and the whole arm with bent elbow moves back and forth in opposition, in one unbroken piece from the shoulder.
The reason for jogging instead of walking is aerobic - fresh oxygen comes in and carbon dioxide leaves the body at a faster rate and more fully than while walking.
During the period of jogging, the student has a chance to relax the mind and thoughts and choose to think pleasant thoughts. Just becoming energized from jogging is enough to relax both body and mind while re-energizing the body, once more.
Problems can bring a child down mentally, and jogging is one way to spend some time out of the classroom or away from homework to clear out cobwebs and sort out problems.
Article by Susan Kramer
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