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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 612.76
EAN num: 9780316113502
ISBN number: 0316113506
Label: Little, Brown and Company
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 304
Printing Date: January 10, 2008
Publishing house: Little, Brown and Company
Sale Popularity Level: 818
Studio: Little, Brown and Company
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Product Description:
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.
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.
In SPARK, John J. Ratey, M.D., embarks upon a fascinating and entertaining journey through the mind-body connection, presenting startling research to prove that exercise is truly our best defense against everything from depression to ADD to addiction to aggression to menopause to Alzheimer's. Filled with amazing case studies (such as the revolutionary fitness program in Naperville, Illinois, which has put this school district of 19,000 kids very first in the world of science test scores), SPARK is the very first book to explore comprehensively the connection between exercise and the brain. It will change forever the way you think about your morning run---or, for that matter, simply the way you think
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Rated by buyers -
Finally, someone attempts to describe what's going on in the brain that creates mental/emotional difficulties, and then describes how movement can help remedy these problems. I come from a family of depressive, overanxious, Alzheimer's-prone people with ischemic disease. The very first message I picked up is, "It's not your fault. It's the way your brain works (or doesn't work) that causes the depression and anxiety." The second message I got was that it's never too late to start exercising to alleviate or delay these issues. I read the book in a day, started walking the subsequent morning and have followed through every morning since. I have to say, I feel sharper, my blood pressure has gone down and I've even dropped a little weight.
Rated by buyers -
With Eric Hagerman, John Ratey has written a book in which he explains -- in layman's terms (to the extent that is possible) -- how physical exercise can "supercharge [provide a `spark' to] mental circuits to avoid or overcome stress, sharpen thinking, lift mood, increase memory...and much more." Obviously, these are all highly desirable results to achieve. Alas, many children as well as adults are out of (physical) shape, do not eat properly, and continue under severe stress to meet their obligations. The implications of what Ratey explains and recommends should be of special interest to young adults, their parents, school administrators, teachers, and coaches as well as to business executives who are responsible for the performance of those whom they supervise.
Here are some of the questions to which he responds:
What are some of the most common misconceptions about "the brain-body connection"?
What in fact is true?
How can aerobic exercise physically remodel our brains for peak performance?
Why is physical exercise the best defense against addiction, aggression, ADD, menopause, and even Alzheimer's?
What are the most significant revelations of a fitness program sponsored by the Naperville (IL) public school district in which more than 19,000 children participated?
Why should such a program (with necessary modifications) be made available to other school children?
In the absence of such a program, what can parents do to increase their children's physical exercise? What sacrifices (if any) must be made to accomplish that?
At a minimum, how frequently should we exercise...and for how long?
What are the benefits to be gained even from minimal exercise?
All of Ratey's observations and recommendations are research-driven, supplemented by his own personal experiences. He seems to be on a mission (one that is commendable) to do everything he possibly can to broaden and deepen public awareness of the consequences of obesity, lethargy, and indolence but also, more to the point, to provide reassurance that even a modest increase in physical exercise can have substantial benefits, not only in terms of improved health but also increased achievement and consequent pride in the classroom as well as in the workplace...indeed in every realm of human life.
Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Ratey's A User's Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention, and the Four Theaters of the Brain and John Medina's Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School (Book & DVD). It is worth noting that everything that Ratey recommends is consistent with the various "rules" that Medina identifies and discusses, notably #1 ("Exercise boosts brain power"), #7 ("Sleep well, think well"), #8 ("Stressed brains don't learn the same way"), #9 ("Stimulate more of the senses"), and #12 ("We are all natural explorers"). How simple it seems: Eat right and get lots of exercise and sufficient rest. If you do, you will reduce stress and nourish your curiosity. To many of us, the obvious is often invisible until we are enlightened by others such as John Ratey and John Medina.
Rated by buyers 
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The very first chapter was exciting but it was downhill from there. I agree with the reviewer who said it would make a good magazine article. Exercise is good for the brain - said over and over - became less and less interesting as the book went on.
Rated by buyers -
I knew subsequent to nothing about the brain's physiology and less about the physiology's relationship to the rest of the body. While I remain no expert in the realm of neuroscience, I found `Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain' a captivating read. For the novice - meaning me - I learned something about the value of exercise in maintaining, on occasion improving, the health of the brain. Ratey approaches, and grows, his analysis by topic (learning, stress, anxiety, ... , aging). It all made sense. As a migraine sufferer I'd liked to have seen something on migraines and exercise. I guess it's up to me to put on my running shoes and see what happens!
Rated by buyers -
This is a brief for exercise as an element of brain fitness. The author is a Harvard Medical School Professor. There is a lot of science here --any more and I would have been lost. The idea is simply this --we are designed to be moving animals. Our brains are controlled by chemicals which must be kept in balance and cells which must be replensished and grow. Vigorous, regular exercise, like a pill we take every morning but wihtout the side effects, helps manage all of this complexity. We don't know exactly how this works but it works and is a prescription to ward off stress, depression, anxiety, dementia and other like afflictions which all have biochemical roots. In the same way that exercise benefits the heart, Dr. Raney persuasively argues it benefits the organ of the brain. My advice--read the book, go out and get a heart monitor and make vigorous exercise a standard part of your day and life.
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