Cool stuff from the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Academic Medicine: It looks like exercise makes kids—and the rest of us too—smarter.
Obviously physical activity improves heart health. But apparently it also enhances brain health.
This peer-reviewed medical journal says, “There is also a growing body of literature suggesting that physical activity has beneficial effects on several mental health outcomes, including health-related quality of life and better mood states.
“In addition … there is a strong belief that regular participation in physical activity is linked to enhancement of brain function and cognition, thereby positively influencing academic performance.”
Why? Doctors have a few ideas, including the fact that more blood and oxygen flow to the brain, and that the body releases more endorphins that reduce stress and improve mood.
The report reviewed 14 studies on the subject and found that the more physically active children are, the better they perform academically. At a test program two years ago at Naperville Central High School in Illinois, students participated in a dynamic morning exercise program. Participants’ reading scores nearly doubled. Their math scores improved 20-fold.
Other findings in the report, as compiled by fitness.mercola.com, include:
- Exercise encourages your brain to work at optimum capacity by causing nerve cells to multiply, strengthening their interconnections and protecting them from damage. This is true for all age groups.
- High-intensity interval training is the ideal form of exercise for children. Intermittent bouts of activity with pauses in between is entirely natural for the human body, and kids will spontaneously resort to this type of activity when left to their own devices.
The authors of the study say more research needs to be conducted to be conclusive. However, unsurprisingly, they conclude that we need to yank our kids away from the TV and video games and get them active. They recommend at least 30 minutes of exercise a day—and closer to 60 minutes for overweight and obese children.
Wow, I love that the morning exercise program nearly doubled their reading score and improved their math score twenty fold!! That’s a HUGE benefit!