Gym Class, or Physical Education?

Photo by Krossbow, via Flickr

By Michael Fergenson, AJN senior editorial coordinator

Gym class. Some of us may have memories of a brusque man tossing a ball into the middle of the gym, telling us to play and occasionally blowing a whistle. Popular culture certainly portrays the “gym teacher” in this way—or worse, sometimes they’re cast as the villain. I put gym teacher in quotes in the last sentence because my dad would get angry with me if he heard that term, or “gym class” for that matter. My father considers himself a physical educator. When people call him a gym teacher, which is most of the time, he replies with the quip: “The gymnasium is the room that I teach in, but I am a physical education teacher.”

There’s something more important going on here than mere semantics. Is this pop cultural view of the gym teacher causing harm to students? I believe so.

My father has been a physical educator for a little more than 20 years. For a long time I had the same negative view of gym teachers as most people. That was until I began to study education myself. I definitely wasn’t going to be a gym teacher—oh no, it was literature for me. I would be a high school English […]

2016-11-21T13:10:03-05:00May 23rd, 2012|Nursing, personal health practices|3 Comments
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Sarcopenia and Me – Or Why Exercise Really Matters as We Age

By Karen Roush, MS, RN, FNP-C, AJN clinical managing editor

Recently I started an exercise program with a personal trainer. I’ve been a runner for 25 years, even ran five marathons. I’ve never had a problem being disciplined about running four or five days a week, no matter what the weather. But I’ve never been able to stick to any other exercise program for more than a week or so. Working with weights, yoga, step classes, just doing push-ups in my living room when I get back from a run—never stuck with any of them.

Getting older isn’t kind to those who don’t exercise. Years ago my lack of upper-body fitness was hardly noticeable. Shoveling snow, raking leaves, playing racquetball, carrying my kids around, all of it kept me in good enough shape. That’s not the case now that I’m in my fifties. Lifting my grandson above my head—not happening. Hanging a new shower curtain – three clips – rest – three clips – rest…

When I found I couldn’t blow-dry my very short hair without lowering my arm repeatedly because of muscle fatigue, it was time to do something about it.  That’s when I decided to invest in a personal trainer. It was expensive—but I figured I would just do it long enough to make exercise, other than […]

2016-11-21T13:11:13-05:00December 7th, 2011|nursing perspective, personal health practices|3 Comments
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Health Care Reform Must Target Hospitals, Physicians Who Push Expensive Treatments Over Prevention

But the cost of the hospitalization alone for an uncomplicated bariatric surgery is now about $28,000. That goes up to over $38,000 if complications arise—and almost $70,000 if the patient has to be readmitted. Now, what if a patient decides he'd like to go to a nutritionist every week for several years to gradually lose the weight and change his eating habits permanently? Let's say that the cost of seeing a nutritionist is $100 per visit—that's just over $15,000, but who's paying to put up signs advertising a hospital's nutritional service for weight loss ?

2016-11-21T13:22:38-05:00September 10th, 2009|health care policy|3 Comments
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Views expressed on the blog are solely those of the authors or persons quoted. They do not necessarily reflect AJN’s views or those of Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
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