Back to School--Exercise for Your Brain

Article by Kristi Tuck, BS, ACSM
Posted on September 08, 2007

With school just around the corner, it is time to get that brain back in gear. Physical activity in children has significantly decreased in recent years, giving way to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, with the explosion of computer games and internet-based activities. One I find particularly disturbing is the concept of having an internet “pet” that you log on to each day to walk, feed and care for. I can appreciate that we want to instill a sense of responsibility in our youth, but what ever happened to getting a real puppy and actually “walking” the dog around the block?

With school children spending 4.8 hours per day at the computer, watching television or playing video games (as reported in June 2001 by ABC news), and nearly half of our young people ages 12 to 21 NOT participating in vigorous physical activity on a regular basis, is it any wonder that we have an obesity epidemic in our schools? With schools continuing to make cuts and public apathy toward physical education, the responsibility lies with us – concerned parents – to take a larger role in increasing the activity of our youth.

The word “exercise” derives from a Latin root meaning “to maintain, to keep, to ward off”. And, exercise (along with a healthy lifestyle) can, in fact, “ward off” many diseases including heart disease, diabetes and obesity. It doesn’t take a great deal of effort or equipment to increase your physical activity. It does, however, take a concerted effort to fit it in to our daily lives. Walking is especially good for your brain because it increases blood circulation and oxygen to your brain. As you walk, you effectively oxygenate your brain allowing you to think more clearly. Movement and exercise increase breathing and heart rate so that more blood flows to the brain enhancing energy production and waste removal – think of it as a “detox” for your brain. Studies show that cerebral blood vessels can grow in response to exercise even in middle-aged, sedentary individuals. Researchers at the University of Florida have also studied rats and found that those that engaged in regular physical activity demonstrated “healthier DNA and more robust brain cells than their less-active counterparts.” And, “it is the first study to show that lifelong exercise actually decreases cellular again in the brain”. So, exercise isn’t just good for our kids, it is good for adults too!

So, take advantage of the last days of summer and make sure you are finding time for activity now that the school year has begun.