If you're still working toward that New Year's resolution of getting in shape, keep it up. You may be benefiting more from your workouts than you thought.

Now, a new study shows being active can improve our physical health as well as our mental health. The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine reported there may be a correlation between children who exercise and their grades.

This new study mirrors what many students and teachers in the valley have seen.

Kelsey Follett has been running all her life.

"Ever since I can remember. My parents both run so that's kind of what got me into running," she said.

Kelsey's now a student-athlete at Colorado Mesa University. Her dedication to her sport is one reason she's successful in the classroom.

"I don't think I would be the student today if I didn't have the opportunity to exercise. I definitely think it helps me focus more and helps me be a better student," Follett said.

A new study by researchers in the Netherlands supports that. The study shows that children who were more active likely had better grades than those who had little physical activity.

This study mirrors what some physical education teachers have seen in their own schools.

"Once they spend some time in the gym and they go back to their classrooms, they seem better able to focus on their work, to stay concentrated on one area," Orchard Avenue Elementary physical education teacher Sandy Thies said.

Much of this has to do with the fact that exercise gets your blood flowing.

"As the blood flows to the brain, it just activates the brain more, allowing you to process and focus and think about more things," CMU assistant professor Dr. Elizabeth Sharp said.

"When you do your physical exercise, you are creating strength and memory and focus in your brain that will stay with you throughout your lifetime if you continue to exercise," Thies added.

As we get older, however, P.E. and recess go away and exercise becomes optional, even though the brain could still use it.

"Blood flow is only limited to our internal organs and the things that are necessary, your brain isn't as active as it could be," Dr. Sharp said.

"I notice on the days I don't work out or don't have a chance to come, I notice I'm a lot more groggy, and can't focus as well," Follett said.

Adults who have more physical activity can benefit with better focus, better health, and stress relief.

"When you feel stressed out, you can always come to the gym. Once you leave the gym and you've had a very hard workout, you leave very relieved," CMU student Nathan Chacon said.

So with both mental and physical health benefits don't lie. If kids come home saying recess or P.E. is their favorite subject, it may not be such a bad thing.

"I think [school and exercise are] the perfect compliment to each other," Follett said.

If you are not as physically active as you want to be at work, Dr. Sharp suggested taking a short one minute break every hour where you can stand up and get your body moving. She says the breaks especially will allow adults to focus much better than if they sit for a long period of time.

Colorado passed a bill that said elementary school students need at least 600 minutes of physical activity per month. That can be through P.E. classes, recess or breaks where students can get up and move around.