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Anorak News | Wrist Action

Wrist Action

by | 22nd, September 2003

‘IF the finger power of children playing video games right now were harnessed, it would produce enough energy to heat and light the entire African continent for a year.

Scientists found that Gavin ran all the way to school every day

That’s the kind of fact we are proud to bring you. And if it were true we could sell our research to the Times and see our story appear on the paper’s education news section.

“Playstation Power” would sit just below the tale of how a company which provides private education to children in the Middle East is planning to set up in Britain.

While we marvel at the school’s immense sand pits, the paper then tells us that children get more physical benefits out of walking to school than they do from PE lessons.

Boffins at University College London have found that walking to and from school five times a week burns more calories than two hours of PE over the same period.

How these figures were bought about remains something of a contentious issue.

1) How did the scientists find a child who walks to school? 2) How did they find a child who attends classes for the full five days a week? 3) Miss, what’s PE?

The brains further cloud the issue by saying how they fitted 149 children with motion sensors on their wrists to calculate the amount of energy they were using.

Knowing teenagers as we do, and all their revolting depraved habits, we note that “the advantage of walking over PE was clearest among teenage boys“.

Although nine out ten seemed to be walking rapidly in small, tight circles…’



Posted: 22nd, September 2003 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink