Spark

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We all know that exercise makes us feel better, but most of us have no idea why. We assume it’s because we’re burning off stress or reducing muscle tension or boosting endorphins, and we leave it at that. But the real reason we feel so good when we get our blood pumping is that it makes the brain function at its best, and in my view, this benefit of physical activity is far more important—and fascinating—than what it does for the body. I opened this book thinking that, because I exercise consistently, and because I like being praised for my intellect, I was in for a festival of self-congratulation. After all, according to Ratey (Hagerman helped with the writing but the book is Ratey’s brainchild), I am doing everything right—or close enough—and I should be reaping massive cognitive and emotional benefits from my exercise routine. Even so, I found myself curiously disappointed as I read. I have been evangelizing the widespread benefits of regular vigorous exercise for years. Sadly, most people are still reluctant to begin a therapy that could provide them with profound life-changing results unobtainable via any other means... This books explains why it is good to maintain health as it helps us to stay away from disease and helps us to recover fast when affected with disease. Exercise, naturally, counteracts obesity on two fronts: it burns calories, and it reduces appetite.

I love the research based evidence presented throughout the book which not only convince us that exercise is beneficial but also explains how it's beneficial. Women get more for less with exercise, it helps balance all the fluctuations brought on from the different cycles of hormone levels from menstruation, pregnancy, post-postpartum, and menopause. Did you know you can beat stress, lift your mood, fight memory loss, sharpen your intellect, and function better than ever simply by elevating your heart rate and breaking a sweat? The evidence is incontrovertible: Aerobic exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance. The book then dives into the damaging effects of the modern sedentary lifestyle and goes into dozens of studies presenting positive effects of exercise on learning, stress management, anxiety, depression, ADHD, addiction, hormonal changes, and aging related conditions such as Alzheimer's Disease. Every single one of these conditions can be massively improved through exercise. The next chapter in this book examines the affect of exercise on the brain to enhance learning. Here the science is explained. There is a lot of scientific jargon used to explain how this improves the brain’s potential for processing new information. The science used here seems to be repeated in each of the subsequent chapters dealing with Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Attention Deficit, Addiction and Aging. In a nutshell it seems that exercise increases the blood flow to the brain allowing the brain to build and strengthen the connections it needs to deal with these conditions. The author uses the term “Miracle-Gro” to describe this effect.An excellent exercise motivator! This being a pop-science book it'll be most effective if you're a logically minded person or in need of some explicit reasons to overcome creeping apathy or procrastination. One of the best aspects of a book on exercise is that you can test and verify the essential ideas as they relate to your own experience; I often listened to the audiobook while jogging or at the gym. Knowing more about how something you're doing is good for you is an additional reward in itself, and for me this encapsulates the main value of reading this book. I'm torn on the number of stars I want to give this book. I love the message of the book and it has truly changed the way I think about exercise! = 4/5 stars. But, as a non-scientist, I felt bogged down by the (loooong) sections that tried to explain how certain processes work in the brain. = 2/3 stars. He "proves" his theories with all the scientific stuff, but I'd honestly rather just take his word for it than have him try to explain it. Even though I listened to every word, I pretty much still had to take his word for it, because I didn't understand what he was explaining. What I did like was the case studies, especially of the school in the first chapter. At this school, P.E. grades are based on effort, not skill, as determined by heart rate monitors. As a slow and uncoordinated athlete (he he) I embrace that concept!! In my opinion three types of people can grab this book without getting further delay, first- those who do exercise and second - those who doesn't do exercise and third one who love to do but doesn't do exercise. The author begins the writing in the book proper by examining Naperville Central High School in Chicago, which adds a heavy emphasis on physical exercise, to great effect.

p. 65 "Two neurotransmitters put the brain on alert: norepinephrine arouses attention, then dopamine sharpens and focuses it." Imbalance => ADD people can focus only under stress--need norepinephrine to get dopamine. Thus the project firefighters who are really arsonists. As a gym teacher, I am all about movement. I want my kids to be active and engaged for as much of class as possible. But even though I was already on the exercise bandwagon, I had no idea how extensive the benefits of exercise really are. In Spark, John Ratey explains why the benefits of exercise to the heart, lungs, and muscles, are secondary to the benefits of exercise to the brain. The first chapter is the most engaging, where he shows how a few rogue school systems boosted test scores and lowered behavioral issues by introducing morning exercise programs. One school scored in the top 5 in the world in math and science. A groundbreaking and fascinating investigation into the transformative effects of exercise on the brain, from the bestselling author and renowned psychiatrist John J. Ratey, MD.And so on. Perhaps this will make me sound very ignorant, but most of the science boiled down to: exercise makes the body produce chemical X, which is beneficial to the brain.

Oh my god. According to this book I am a walking recipe for Alzheimer's disease. This is a book by a Harvard psychiatrist about the link between mental health and exercise. As life-long depression sufferer with not one, but two parents who suffer/ed from Alzheimer's, I'm pretty much in the exponentially high risk category for dementia. But there is hope, if I get off my ass and start exercising. It’s important to have plans and goals and appointments, and this is why sports such as golf and tennis are great. They require constant self-monitoring and the motivation to improve. Exercise is a readily available tool which we can utilize to enhance our life. You just need to take the first step and ignite that spark. As someone who works out 5-6 days a week and eats clean, I can vouch for all the benefits of exercise as I’ve already seen them first hand. If you’re someone who wants to start your own fitness journey and need a little push, this book will be really helpful and inspiring. I also was irked by the overly optimistic tone. One would think that half the world’s problems would be solved in the course of a short jog. Yet there are many people, I am sure, for whom exercise is a form of self-punishment, or spurred by unhealthy body images, or a way to puff up the ego, or merely a form of escapism—channeling unresolved emotional issues into physical pain. I do not point this out to discourage exercise, you understand, only to make the obvious point that it is no cure-all.It reduces obesity. Aside from wreaking havoc on the cardiovascular and metabolic systems, body fat has its own nasty effects on the brain. The CDC estimates that 73 percent of Americans over sixty-five are overweight, and, given the potential problems obesity can lead to — from cardiovascular disease to diabetes — the agency is right in declaring it a pandemic. Simply being overweight doubles the chances of developing dementia, and if we factor in high blood pressure and high cholesterol — symptoms that often come along with obesity — the risk increases sixfold. When people retire, they figure they deserve a break after working their whole lives, and they start piling on the food. But what they don’t realize is that having dessert with every meal is no treat. p. 103 overcoming fear: "While we can't erase the original fear memory, can't remove old memory, we can essentially drown it out by creating a new memory and reinforcing it. By building up parallel circuitry to the fear memory, the brain creates a neutral alternative to the expected anxiety, learning that everything is OK. by wiring in the correct interpretation, the trigger is disconnected from the typical response, weakening the associating, between, say, seeing a spider and experiencing terror and a racing heart. Scientists call it reattribution." Exercise increases levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), which regulates insulin in the body and improves synaptic plasticity in the brain. By drawing down surplus fuel, exercise also bolsters our supply of BDNF, which is reduced by high glucose. It helps old people prevent Alzheimer's, dementia, osteoporosis. As well as keeping their energy levels higher, improving their mood, and helping with their mental acuity. Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey takes a fascinating look at the relationship between exercise and brain function. Citing numerous scientific studies as well as various anecdotal stories, Ratey looks at the benefits of exercise relative to learning, stress, anxiety, depression, attention deficit, hormonal changes, and aging. Anyone looking for some motivation to exercise or to improve their consistency is certain to find something in the text. Most of the focus relates to aerobic exercise, but other forms of exercise are also mentioned although they generally do not have as many scientific studies relating to them. The following are some general take always from the book: