Product Description

Did you know you can beat stress, lift your mood, fight memory loss, sharpen your intellect, and function better than ever simply by breaking a sweat? The evidence is incontrovertible: exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance. In "Spark", Dr Ratey embarks upon a fascinating and entertaining journey through the mind-body connection, showing how exercise is truly our best defense against everything from depression to ADD, from addiction 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 children first in the world of science test scores), "Spark" is the first book to explore comprehensively the connection between exercise and the brain. It will change forever the way you think about the gym - or, for that matter, simply the way you think.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #82870 in Books
• Published on: 2009-01-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
...an accessible and thought-provoking book - serious popular science - BBC Focus magazine.

From the Back Cover
Did you know that you can supercharge your thinking, beat stress, reverse ageing, lift your mood, fight memory loss and sharpen your intellect simply by breaking a sweat?
The evidence is incontrovertible: for your brain to function at its peak, your body needs to move.
If your goal is to live a long and healthy life, then SPARK! is required reading. It conclusively shows how and why exercise is crucial to the way you think and feel. Exercise literally sparks new brain cell growth - giving you the power to improve exam results, ensure success in the workplace and guard against everything from depression to attention-deficit disorder, from addiction to Alzheimer's.
SPARK! is the first book to comprehensively explore the connection between exercise and the brain. With a simple, targeted regimen to get your body moving and your mind in peak condition, it will change forever the way you think about the gym - and, for that matter, simply the way you think.

About the Author
John J. Ratey is a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is the author or coauthor of many books, including Driven to Distraction and A Users Guide to the Brain. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Eric Hagerman is a former senior editor at Poplar Science and Outside magazines. He lives in New Jersey.

Customer Reviews

Regular Aerobic Exercise Helps School Performance and Improves Mental Performance During Stress, Anxiety, Depression, and Aging
I've read a lot about the brain in the last decade, and I thought this book was the most helpful summary I've seen of what to do differently. The thinking person is the person who aerobically exercises regularly.

Spark is an excellent summary of the brain research during the last decade or so that has added to our knowledge of how regular aerobic exercise stimulates better and more effective mental activity. Dr. Ratey considers the impact of such exercise on school-age children . . . and adults with stress, anxiety, depression, attention deficits, hormonal changes, and aging bodies. He also recommends a general exercise regime that seems to optimize what we know today from these studies.

The essence of the book can be found in the observation that optimal brain functioning requires plenty of blood, the right nutrients, a balance of body chemicals designed to help the brain operate, and an ability to grow new cells and connections in the brain. Each of these elements is helped by regular aerobic exercise. The results are often measurable within a few weeks.

So if you thought that aerobic exercise was simply about looking and feeling good, you're wrong. It's also about thinking well and being able to learn. There are longevity and other quality of life benefits as well . . . including reduced incidence of disease and less chance of dementia.

The book also explores that you don't have to do a tremendous amount of exercise to get most of the benefits.

The Spark that could change your life.
Excellent book and it provides us with another very powerful reason why we should exercise. Anyone who has ever exercised on a consistent basis will attest to the benifits and now this new research makes it even more important that we develop an exercise program that we can enjoy and that has the power to lift depression, make us more sociable, grows more brain cells, improves our mememory, keeps dementia at bay and so on. In an era where psychiatrists are keener than ever to prescribe anti-depressants that often have the most horendeous side effects its great news to know there is a better way to help ourselves. In many ways the whole concept makes perfect sense but when Ratey provides the research to support the ideas then we can easily see why it is so.

The interdependence of mental, emotional, and physical health

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.