(May 2, 2013) — Physical education class is the one class where my worries and stress are temporarily, for that hour and thirty minutes, gone. For me, P.E class not only makes me become more alert, but it is a great way to exercise. Nowadays many high school students do not have time to exercise on their own. P.E class provides the time and resources to exercise. Besides having the class help with one’s fitness, it helps students mentally. With all the benefits of P.E class, it should be offered to students throughout the high school years. Since I have P.E as my first period, I find that after class I am more alert and awake. From the warm-up exercises to playing sports, I begin to become more alert and less sleepy. According to studies by the University of Illinois at Urbana, walking for 20 minutes increases brain activity. This shows that not only does exercise stimulate the brain but it can lead to better academic performance. Exercise, being essential to health, is a solution or a positive way to relieve stress or relax. Physical activity also helps with stress which many high school students experience. Authors of the book, Fit for Duty , Robert Hoffman and Thomas R. Collingwood, claim that “Exercise can be a method of relaxation. Regular exercise can be a diversion from day-to-day stress and can provide a sedative effect through natural physical movement.” Exercise provides the students a method of relieving stress and allowing students to take relax and take a breather from all the worries they have. When I exercise or play a sport during P. E, I put all my energy and and focus into what I am doing, which in turn causes me to not have a chance to think about anything else besides what I am doing. For example, I do not think about what tests I have that day or what I have to do in terms of homework for the next day. As a result, my stress and tension is reduced and I can think clearly. P.E. class reduces stress and increases brain activity, which helps high school students. Physical activity and academics go hand in hand, and by adding P.E to the junior and senior curriculum, or even offering it as elective, P.E. will help students physically as well as mentally or psychologically.