Exercise works for body and mind in D.C. schools

Regarding Jay Mathews's Dec. 28 Class Struggle column, "D.C. students need exercise for the mind":

As a personal trainer and owner of a D.C. gym, I nearly fell off my treadmill when I read this. One only has to Google the phrase "exercise helps mind" to reveal the hundreds of benefits that regular exercise provides. Studies have shown that working adults who exercise regularly get more done in the day than those who do not. What's the point of teaching kids how to read and write and then have to watch them develop diabetes at 22? We owe it to our children to provide them with chances for writing and running -- and fit all of it into a standard school day.

I applaud the D.C. government for challenging our children, teachers and parents to put exercise into the school day.

Graham King, Washington