Plans to boost fitness of girls

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Hip-hop dancing and yoga could be taught at secondary schools as part of a government scheme to encourage girls to do more exercise.

The Fit for Girls initiative will offer alternative gym lessons alongside more traditional sports, such as netball.

Each school will receive an average of £1,400 to increase the take-up of physical education (PE).

Money will also be spent on improving changing facilities, for example by providing hair straighteners.

'Enjoy activity'

The scheme is designed to tackle the problem of physical inactivity among girls as they get older.

Just 40% of those between the ages of 13 and 15 take part in any kind of exercise for one hour most days.

Launching the scheme Sport Minister Stewart Maxwell said: "Worryingly, as young girls approach adolescence there is a decline in participation and involvement in exercise.

"We are keen to tackle this trend and to encourage girls to enjoy activity."

Olympic and Commonwealth medallist Liz McColgan endorsed the initiative.

It's not all about going out and doing a one mile cross-country run Liz McColgan

Speaking on the BBC Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, she said: "We have to move with the times and initiatives like this will capture some of the girls' imaginations.

"It's not all about going out and doing a one mile cross-country run."

The scheme has already been piloted in a number of secondary schools across Scotland.

Linda McLean, head of PE at Woodfarm High School in East Renfrewshire, said providing hair dryers and straighteners had proved popular with the girls.

She said: "There is an appreciation from the girls where they're saying 'We'll go out there and we'll do it' because they know they can fix themselves up afterwards."

The programme will be led by sportscotland and is to be rolled out across the country.