General McLane SD students get a fitness boost

Students at James W. Parker Middle School are getting a little more out of their physical education classes. The school offers wrist monitors during gym class that keep track of calories burned and heart rate. Each student’s goal is to keep his or her monitor red for at least 20 minutes, which indicates that the heart rate is 80% of the student’s maximum heart rate – the recommended level for fitness. Students have individualized accounts that record their maximum heart rate and other vital information, which can be sent to their families. According to an article in the Erie Times-News, students say that the system encourages them to work harder during physical education and teachers have seen an improvement in students’ cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, among other benefits.