15 Minutes of Daily Physical Activity for Fitter, More Focused Children - The Daily Mile [Podcast Series]

• [:56] Dr. Bantham introduces her guest, Elaine Wyllie

  • Elaine is the founder of the Daily Mile.

  • She started the Daily Mile while head teacher at St. Ninian’s Primary School, and was named Teacher of the Year at the Pride of Britain Awards. 

• [1:19] Starting the Daily Mile

  • “And so I had often thought, you know, you hear on the news, and you hear about children's fitness and fatness, and so on. And I had often thought, why don't children just run round the field once a day? You know, wouldn't that do them some good?”

• [4:13] Engaging children in the process

  • “Those things all happened with no planning—zero planning—but the children invented it. So in a sense, it turned everything on its head and became the children's thing. And that has been replicated across school cultures across climates across the world. And I think it's because the Daily Mile meets the needs of childhoodę—fun, fresh air, friends, freedom— and these needs are the same wherever you go.”

• [6:31] Discovering your inner fit child

  • “So, those children, who were just simply a bit unsporty or a bit unfit, discovered their kind of inner fit child, and that it was for them too. So they discovered that they were really all actually an athlete. And that was really interesting for us.”

• [10:24] Demonstrating the benefits of the Daily Mile

  • “We now have convincing research that says to head teachers and principals and teachers, the benefits are so great for almost no time—focus, concentration, happiness, behavior.  Children learn when their needs are met.  And if children are sitting too much, you know they get antsy, they get fidgety, they're not learning.  They need to run around.”

• [15:39] Making a difference with child obesity and overweight

  • “After three years at St Ninian's there was a remarkable difference between obesity and overweight in St. Ninian's and Scottish schoolchildren as a whole. Our children were lean and fit compared with the national average, and it cost nothing.”

• [17:26] Scaling

  • “So we got, quite quickly, a lot of support from the medical and public health community. The fact that it fits and works meant that schools would see and give it a go. And it works from day one. And it's easy, it's easy to do.  The fact that it's free, you don't need resources of any sort, you basically open the door and take the children out.”

• [20:55] Health partnering with schools

  • “The Daily Mile is a solution. It's not a message. It's a practical solution in the school day. It's on a plate. parceled up. There you are. And if you do the Daily Mile, you will change the health and well-being of your children.  Now, and for the future.”

• [23:20] Building resilience

  • “But essentially, almost all weathers, we say.  And children respond.  And, as you say, it builds resilience.  They respond to nature and the seasons.”

• [25:33] The Daily Mile and COVID

  • “And, interestingly, the Daily Mile signup increased during COVID in schools, because it was the one thing that worked. So you're not touching equipment, you're not indoors, you can do it in your bubble, it just worked. It was outdoors and so schools kept it going, and more schools signed up. And that was really important to us that those schools who kept going with The Daily Mile and were open, kept their children fit.”

• [28:01] Fit for Life

  • And so we need help to take it to adults, but that realization that they can, they can have responsibility for self care, and shift, you know, that thing where there's inactive, somewhat active, and active. And that shift from inactive to somewhat active is the thing that saves the health service and saves the people.  The Daily Mile can help people to make that shift.”

• [29:47] Engaging with the Daily Mile

  • “I often say, you know, we have a huge, massive, complex, expensive problem, and lack of fitness, and obesity levels, and mental health, and loneliness. And, you know, actually, you can have a fairly simple partial solution. It's certainly not the whole solution. But the Daily Mile is a simple and free partial solution to these things.”