Who Needs Drugs?
Exercise is the Best Medicine!
Hands down, exercise is the best medicine. Dr. John Ratey has written eight books and lectured on exercise and the brain all over the world for years. Brawn makes brains. Yes, it’s true; in addition to building physical brawn, exercise helps to regulate moods, balance emotions, stimulate cognitive abilities and keeps us motivated.
Physically active kids are smarter, happier and more productive!
Is your child suffering from depression, ADHD or aggressive behavior? Get them moving!
Exercise has dramatic effects on the development of the brain and learning. You just have to looks at the physical education (PE) program that was implemented in the public schools in Naperville, Illinois
For the last 18 years, Naperville school district offered 19,000 kids a fitness based PE program where they had the choice of 18 different physical activities… running on a treadmill, various sports activities, wall climbing, using an exercise monitor with video monitor and more. The kids wore heart rate monitors to ensure they were exercising in the correct heart rate zone. The Naperville students wrote a test with children from around the world that was designed to compare student’s knowledge in science and math. The results speak for themselves, in Science, the Naperville kids finished first in the entire world and in math they scored sixth, just behind Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan.
Our society continues to pop pills to deal with depression, ADHA and other disorders. Exercise should be what the doctors are prescribing for patients. Dr. John Ratey states that “prescribing exercise is the key to changing the health care tide and that physicians should have a “fitness nurse” who in addition to prescribing exercise, would check data from a pedometer, heart-rate monitor or body-composition scale on a regular basis.”
Fitness and early training for children is important. However, it’s never too late to add fitness to your life. Exercise activates the brain by releasing brain chemicals called neurotransmitters and improves the flow of oxygen to your brain. Just think of your brain as a muscle. Exercise helps your heart, brain and all the other muscles become stronger.
Exercise makes you feel great
In the difficult economic times, it’s even more important to exercise. In addition to endorphins, the “feel good” hormones, exercise releases all kinds of brain chemicals, including serotonin and dopamine which help you feel brighter and more alert. Plus, it releases brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that Dr. Ratey refers to as “Miracle-Gro” for the brain which helps build and maintain the connections between brain cells.
Exercise cuts the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 50%
If you’ve been sedentary for the last 50 years, don’t despair! You can push back cognitive decline by 10 to 15 years by getting involved in a moderately intense exercise program, Plus, other research suggests that you can cut the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 50%, especially for women after menopause.
So what type of exercise should you do?
A combination of strength training and cardio is the best medicine for young and old.
We have a team of certified personal trainers that can help you optimize your exercise time and develop the program that’s right for you.
So what are you waiting for – GET MOVING!