Tommy Koponen, who has worked as a physical education teacher for more than 20 years, confirms the worrying figures of the latest study with his observations. Finnish children are in even worse shape.
- Unfit young people become unfit adults.
- Koponen believes that the “Icelandic model” will reach Finland as well.
- Home’s example has an effect. Koponen hopes that parents will instill the joy of exercise in their offspring.
– We have a bomb in our hands.
Physical education teacher at Seinäjoki joint school Tommy Koponen says it directly. He is very worried when analyzing the latest report of the Move! measurements, which measure the physical activity ability of Finnish youth.
The result trend is unfortunate. The physical ability of fifth and eighth graders continues to decline. The most recent measurement result shows that almost 40 percent of the young people who participated in the study have a physical condition so weak that it hinders everyday life.
It’s no longer just about the personal well-being of young people, Koponen reminds.
– This will be very visible in the working life of the future.
In Finnish: The bill falls on taxpayers.
Running is a foreign thing
Koponen also looks at the matter from the perspective of a top athlete. He is remembered as a long-term player, coach and club employee of the floorball club SPV.
Koponen, who has worked as a physical education teacher for more than 20 years, has had to observe in his profession that the basic physical condition of young people deteriorates year by year.
In the Move! measurements, the physical performance of fifth- and eighth-graders is studied with many different tests. For example, Koponen raises the familiarity of sprinting as a cause for concern.
– Many young people have to stop running within the first minute. You can see that the heart rate rising is a strange thing, Koponen states.
During Koponen’s teaching career, the results have also collapsed in tests asking about muscle condition.
– There are more and more people who can’t pull a single chin. Today, even push-ups create challenges. There is simply not enough strength in the middle body, says Koponen.
I didn’t sweat during Corona
Tommy Koponen has worked as a physical education teacher at Seinäjoki Community School since 2000. Tommy Koponen’s home album
You should wake up to the latest results from Kopos. The chapters must be read with enough seriousness.
– Some young people have good results. And there have always been young people who don’t move. But the number of such has grown significantly over the years.
Koponen raises familiar issues as reasons. Overweight has increased as cell phones passivate and means of transportation that facilitate movement reduce daily movement. The coronavirus pandemic also left its mark. It ate up the young people’s desire to move even more.
Many sports clubs were on hiatus for a long time in 2020. Schools switched to distance learning and physical education classes were completed voluntarily.
Koponen thinks that many have missed sweating.
– I was really surprised when the tests were carried out. The weakened physical condition of the young people was clearly visible.
Impact on working life
Young people in poor physical condition grow into adults in poor physical condition.
Although more and more work is done on computers and sitting in the office, it does not remove the concern about the deterioration of the basic condition.
– Somewhere there is a lower limit that a person can manage to work at all, Koponen reminds.
Being overweight and having weak muscles cause sick leave even in offices.
– I also see a pretty direct connection to the psychological side here. Research has shown that exercise helps brain function and keeps the mind fresh, Koponen reminds.
Model from Iceland
Getting young people active costs money, but in the long run it turns out to be a cheaper option for society than keeping a strict economic line. VILLE RINNE
The Move! research results have weakened year by year. According to Koponen, the study plan does not help in fixing the problem.
– Middle schoolers have compulsory exercise once a week. It’s simply not enough.
According to Koponen, it is necessary to increase the amount of exercise. He feels that Finland will have to move to the “Icelandic model” in the future.
In Iceland, society has taken a significant role in getting children and young people moving.
– After the school day, the children are packed on the bus and taken for a walk. For example, you have to be prepared for measures like this, Koponen feels.
Different sports services should be produced more and more for him.
It costs. If and when society takes on an even bigger role in, for example, sports facilities and various guided activities, it will be financed with tax resources.
– It’s expensive, and always away from something else. But this has to be done. Otherwise, the people will not remain able to work, Koponen reasons.
It is worth investing in the well-being of young people. Koponen reminds that people in better health “pay for themselves” in adulthood, when they do not burden healthcare as much as people in poor physical condition.
A bad example from home
In the future, should children make their trips to school on foot, for example? Illustration image. Adobe Stock / AOP
Koponen has witnessed various projects aimed at getting children and young people active during his years as a teacher.
Successes have also been seen.
– The range of activities offered during school breaks has changed considerably from what it was when I started my teaching career in 2000, Koponen praises.
Much remains to be done. Koponen would like to bring up school transportation in the discussion.
– Should they be re-examined in order to increase daily movement?
Koponen hopes to be noticed at home.
In addition to society, families are also responsible for the movement of children and young people.
– Unfortunately, many children get a bad example of immobility at home. Parents should also be encouraged to become active and make exercise a part of their education, Koponen states.