Are these people on drugs? No, but they might as well be. They exercise regularly, and therefore their bodies naturally release the same chemicals as those found in the most popular anti-depressants, including Prozac and Zoloft.
Dr. John J. Ratey's book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain explores the connection between brain and body, using case studies to demonstrate how exercise positively impacts those suffering from depression, stress, anxiety, ADHD, addiction, and a host of other problems. It also explained to me why Team Beachbody meetings are such love-fests.
Zach downloaded Spark on the recommendation of Tony Horton. (Yes, we take both fitness and literature advice from Doc Horton.) Zach was drawn to the book after he read a sample from the first chapter, which deals with a program adopted by Naperville Central High School in Chicago called "Zero Hour P.E." It's an educational experiment that has turned 19,000 students in the district into some of the fittest -- and smartest -- kids in the nation. The objective of Zero Hour is to "determine whether working out before school gives these kids a boost in reading ability and in the rest of their subjects." Long story short: it does.
This isn't your mama's P.E. class. There's no dodge ball, there's no rope climbing. Naperville's program utilizes heart rate monitors, a cardio room, and a track to get kids' heart rates to 60-80% of their max during the workout. How do the kids feel about it?
"I guess it's OK," says Michelle. "Besides getting up early and being all sweaty and gross, I'm more awake during the day. I mean, I was cranky all the time last year."
Beyond improving her mood, it will turn out, Michelle is also doing much better with her reading. And so are her Zero Hour classmates: at the end of the semester, they'll show a 17 percent improvement in reading and comprehension, compared with a 10.7 percent improvement among the other literacy students who opted to sleep in and take standard phys ed.Look out, students of Sunnyvale. Mr. Hobbs has a heart rate monitor and a jump rope for you.
Dr. Ratey, who is a psychiatrist, goes on to share stories of his patients overcoming depression, anxiety, and other ailments with regular exercise regimens.
This is an amazing and enlightening read. It's not an easy read -- there are a lot of medical terms such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF - also referred to as "Miracle-Gro for the brain"), vascular endothelial growth factor, and atrial natriuretic peptide. But as I read the book my belief that exercise was good simply to keep my heart and body healthy was completely transformed. Nope -- exercise is about keeping your head on straight.
For me, the most interesting part of this book is when the author discusses how stress impacts the body. By exercising every day, you are stressing your body. Sounds like a bad thing, right? It's not. It's actually like an inoculation. If you regularly expose your body to stressful situations, you are better prepared to handle it in real life. Your cells, your immune system, your entire body is "prepared to handle a genuine assault on the body -- fighting off everything from colds to cancer."
Your body is a truly amazing thing. If you treat it right, it will work like a well-oiled machine long into old age. Let it rust, and it will fall apart on you early and often. I highly recommend that you read this book.
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Workout of the Day
P90X One On One: P.A.P. Lower
P.A.P. stands for Post Activation Potentiation. (How's that for a science term? Fits right into my post today.) This workout builds in a strength move, followed by an explosive move, then a static move to get the muscles to respond and grow. I feel like I'm in a science experiment whenever we do this workout. It's become one of my favorites!
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