Book review: Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey, MD (Part 1)

Posted In: Me January 9th, 2014 divider 2 Comments »

I got introduced to this book by Luke MacDonald, one of the owners of Aerobics First in Halifax and one of my favourite partners out east. Not only did he promote the book and its message, he also put his money where his mouth is and started a movement called Sparks Fly. I’m glad to have contributed to this amazing cause where they raised $10, 000 to buy 20 exercise bikes for classrooms in Nova Scotia.

A lot of school boards have cut physical education (aka gym class) in the past decade in order to promote languages, math and history. What Spark shows it doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive where physical exercise actually helps the brain learn. It’s changed the way I work and it also explains scientifically why I can concentrate better after a run or a hockey game.

I understand most people’s experience with PE as a kid was a negative one but this isn’t about getting picked last on teams, unable to climb the rope in front of everyone or awkwardly doing a dancing routine. This is just about getting kids active and building habits for the future, not skills they won’t use past grade 8.

Today I will chat about the first part of Spark about the revolution that occurred in Naperville, Illinois where a few renegade teachers took it upon themselves to get kids active to combat the current obesity epidemic that’s killing way too many people and diminishing the quality of life for countless others. What they found is that not only did the kids become healthier, they also had less behaviour problems and performed better in school. What’s not to like?

They’ve reproduced the case study in other places all over the world and I even heard of a school in Ottawa following the script with some good results. It reinforces that exercise is one of the best things you can do for yourself and if it could be sold in a pill, it would instantly make world a healthier place. On day soon, right?

Tomorrow I will report on the rest of the book about how exercise helps with depression, ADD/ADHD and other common conditions. In the meantime, get out there. Do it for your brain!