Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, by John J. Ratey (MD) with Eric Hagerman, is a deep dive into the idea that the human body is meant to move. It explores this old wisdom with new science, explaining even into the chemical names and functions of how our body works.
This is a lengthy-feeling book, and it's not written for a general audience. Instead, it's written for fellow academics and professionals... which is to say, the whole book is one giant textwall, with chapters. So while the knowledge in this book is valuable, I can't actually recommend it for general reading. Instead, I'll do my best to lay out what subjects are covered in the book, and you can, if you wish, buy the book or borrow it from the local library and read the relevant sections.
So first, the book talks about students and learning. There's a school in Illinois that has implemented exercise every day before classes, which set off the "spark" the book is named for. The result was healthier students, feeling better about themselves, and most relevantly to the school system: improved grades. The author talks about chemicals that are released when your heartrate is elevated and your muscles are working.
Then he talks about stress, and how a little stress is good but too much is bad, and the specifics of those mechanics. Then the book continues on to a section on anxiety, and some of the doctor's work with clients suffering anxiety, and how movement can reduce or replace the need for medicine. Same with the section on depression, except that he doesn't recommend replacing your medication, but supplementing it with exercise.
After these, the book moves onto conditions one might not otherwise associate exercise with. There's a section for ADHD, and the author notes that he himself has ADHD and marks some personal experiences he's had regarding that and movement. Then the next section is on addiction, and the next on hormones, and finally, aging.
He ends the book with some general recommendations for brain and body health, noting that there is no "one true exercise plan for brain and body health" for all people that might ever want to benefit from this knowledge. Your age, type of exercise activities preferred, mental health, and other challenges are relevant when developing a plan for yourself.
This is a lengthy-feeling book, and it's not written for a general audience. Instead, it's written for fellow academics and professionals... which is to say, the whole book is one giant textwall, with chapters. So while the knowledge in this book is valuable, I can't actually recommend it for general reading. Instead, I'll do my best to lay out what subjects are covered in the book, and you can, if you wish, buy the book or borrow it from the local library and read the relevant sections.
So first, the book talks about students and learning. There's a school in Illinois that has implemented exercise every day before classes, which set off the "spark" the book is named for. The result was healthier students, feeling better about themselves, and most relevantly to the school system: improved grades. The author talks about chemicals that are released when your heartrate is elevated and your muscles are working.
Then he talks about stress, and how a little stress is good but too much is bad, and the specifics of those mechanics. Then the book continues on to a section on anxiety, and some of the doctor's work with clients suffering anxiety, and how movement can reduce or replace the need for medicine. Same with the section on depression, except that he doesn't recommend replacing your medication, but supplementing it with exercise.
After these, the book moves onto conditions one might not otherwise associate exercise with. There's a section for ADHD, and the author notes that he himself has ADHD and marks some personal experiences he's had regarding that and movement. Then the next section is on addiction, and the next on hormones, and finally, aging.
He ends the book with some general recommendations for brain and body health, noting that there is no "one true exercise plan for brain and body health" for all people that might ever want to benefit from this knowledge. Your age, type of exercise activities preferred, mental health, and other challenges are relevant when developing a plan for yourself.
Read This Book If
You can parse academic textwalls and want a better understanding of how exercise can help Everyone. Seriously, this book could be summarized in the sentence, "Exercise is great for all kinds of people and conditions and everyone should do it!" You miss all the science in that summary, and specific recommendations and condition-related details, but that is honestly the gist. I found the information extremely valuable, but the presentation was exhausting.
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