Physical education took on a new dimension at Jackson Academy as students stepped into the world of heart rate monitoring and discovered that fitness is about much more than breaking a sweat.
In a lesson led by Coach Thomas Martin, third through fifth grade students took turns wearing heart rate monitors connected to an app that projected their readings onto a screen in real time. As they moved through activities, they could watch their own heart rates climb and fall, making the invisible work of the human heart suddenly visible.
To put their hearts to the test, students played a lively game of PAC-MAN in the gymnasium. Players walked along the gym’s lines, and anyone who was tagged had to perform a heart-rate related task, such as doing jumping jacks, holding a plank, and even dancing. Students who hit their target heart rates could see the proof right there on the screen with colors that would illuminate their name indicating whether students were below, inside, or over the target zone and in need of a small decrease in activity to reach their optimal zone for the day. Afterwards, Coach Martin would have them sit down and notice their heart rates beginning to fall — keeping their heart rates responding at all times.
Beyond the game, Coach Martin walked students through the science behind the numbers. They learned how to check their heart rates manually and compared that method to the digital monitor readings. They discovered the formula for calculating maximum heart rate based on age, and learned how to identify what percentage of that maximum corresponds to light, moderate, or vigorous exercise, giving them a framework for understanding their own effort levels.
One of the most important lessons of the day was the concept of heart rate recovery — how quickly the heart returns to its resting rate after exercise. A faster recovery, Coach Martin explained, is a sign of a healthy, well-conditioned heart.
Students left class with a deeper understanding of how heart rate monitoring can measure effort, track fitness progress over time, and reveal how the body responds to physical activity. This is beneficial knowledge they can carry with them well beyond the gymnasium.
