Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain
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- Create Date：2021-06-13 09:54:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：John J. Ratey
- ISBN：0316113514
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Summary
A groundbreaking and fascinating investigation into the transformative effects of exercise on the brain， from the bestselling author and renowned psychiatrist John J。 Ratey， MD。
Did you know you can beat stress， lift your mood， fight memory loss， sharpen your intellect， and function better than ever simply by elevating your heart rate and breaking a sweat？ The evidence is incontrovertible: Aerobic exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance。
In Spark， John J。 Ratey， M。D。， embarks upon a fascinating and entertaining journey through the mind-body connection， presenting startling research to prove that exercise is truly our best defense against everything from depression to ADD to addiction to aggression to menopause 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 kids 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 your morning run -- -or， for that matter， simply the way you think。
Did you know you can beat stress， lift your mood， fight memory loss， sharpen your intellect， and function better than ever simply by elevating your heart rate and breaking a sweat？ The evidence is incontrovertible: Aerobic exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance。
In Spark， John J。 Ratey， M。D。， embarks upon a fascinating and entertaining journey through the mind-body connection， presenting startling research to prove that exercise is truly our best defense against everything from depression to ADD to addiction to aggression to menopause 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 kids 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 your morning run -- -or， for that matter， simply the way you think。
Reviews
Michael Moore
，
Convincing book about the power of cardiovascular exercise and its benefits for the brain。 It is communicated in simple language without shying away from the specifics of its underlying research。Did it change me: Yes， I'm now more hesitant to allow myself to go for a couple weeks without cardio/HIIT。 On that timespan， there isn't much physical drawback， but I now realize there is likely to be a mental drawback。 Convincing book about the power of cardiovascular exercise and its benefits for the brain。 It is communicated in simple language without shying away from the specifics of its underlying research。Did it change me: Yes， I'm now more hesitant to allow myself to go for a couple weeks without cardio/HIIT。 On that timespan， there isn't much physical drawback， but I now realize there is likely to be a mental drawback。 。。。more
Elysha
，
This book is full of great information， with stories and anecdotes to support the points the author makes。 I was an Exercise Physiology major in college and we never spoke about the benefits of Exercise and the brain。 I feel like the ideas from this book should be shared everywhere！ The book is loaded with information， so it's not a "fun， breezy" read， but it was full of good content。 I'd like to read it again。 This book is full of great information， with stories and anecdotes to support the points the author makes。 I was an Exercise Physiology major in college and we never spoke about the benefits of Exercise and the brain。 I feel like the ideas from this book should be shared everywhere！ The book is loaded with information， so it's not a "fun， breezy" read， but it was full of good content。 I'd like to read it again。 。。。more
Raphael Rafíey
，
Link for the bookhttps://drive。google。com/file/d/15Xkf。。。Spark Book Summary Notes:The BasicsLifting weights strengthens muscles right？ Well， it also helps strengthen your brain。 Your brain is quite malleable， which means that it can change over time and with exposure to the right things。 One of those things is exercise。Exercise has numerous effects on the body， some of which include; increases in levels of serotonin， dopamine and a protein called growth factor。 These three components all have a Link for the bookhttps://drive。google。com/file/d/15Xkf。。。Spark Book Summary Notes:The BasicsLifting weights strengthens muscles right？ Well， it also helps strengthen your brain。 Your brain is quite malleable， which means that it can change over time and with exposure to the right things。 One of those things is exercise。Exercise has numerous effects on the body， some of which include; increases in levels of serotonin， dopamine and a protein called growth factor。 These three components all have a positive effect on our brains。 They work to sharpen our focus， increase our mood and motivation as well as strengthen the pathways between different connections in our brain。The more you move， the sharper and more primed for learning you become。Stress And ExerciseStressful situations are a huge problem for most people。 The overwhelm and chaos from some modern activities can do a real number on us。 Physical activity though can dampen these effects。Physical activity produces stress in the brain， the same as regular mental stress would。 Unlike mental stress though， the stress caused by exercise is controlled。 We don’t often train ourselves to complete and utter exhaustion。 Just like how training does some damage to muscles that then gets repaired and strengthened， something similar happens in our brains。 Only our brains build resistance to stress instead of exercise。Feeling Down？ Exercise！Once considered purely psychological， we now know that a part of depression or even just feeling down can be physical。 It makes sense since physical activity can also affect a persons mood， that the opposite is possible too。While searching for a biological explanation of depression， scientists found the link between mood and activity。 Exercise can help to reduce some of the signs and symptoms of people feeling down or even depressed。 This is a direct result of the endorphins created during exercise which， similar to some mood enhancing drugs， create a feeling of euphoria。Degeneration And AgePoor lifestyle choices have been shown to increase your chances of developing degenerative brain disorders。 Great lifestyle choice， on the other hand， do the opposite。 This is increasingly important as we age。Lifting weights has been shown to decrease the risk of osteoporosis while also helping the brain form new connections。 Running lowers blood pressure as well as helps to keep your circulatory system healthy。 Continuing to exercise， even low impact exercise such as swimming is incredibly important for preventing mental decline as we age。 。。。more
Mathijs
，
Good book from a neurological perspective but not the Superbowl of books on this topic。 Nothing to bad about it but a couple of repetitive chapters and a random chapter on effects on the womans brain （why not just gender in general？）。 Summary of the book is something we all already knew - train and thou shall thrive。
Siddhi
，
Awesome and one-of-a-kind book！ Although the same message is repeated over and over again with many examples， in the end the book leaves you convinced and motivated to make exercise a part of your routine。
Elysia
，
A compelling argument for the brain （and body） benefits of exercise。 I’m curious now how this field of study has grown since this book was published。
Trâm
，
3。5 stars // This genuinely made me continue exercising daily， although the gyms are closed now :'） I also appreciate the chapter on women， especially because most men in the medical field tend to assume the male default。 Actually， I enjoyed the overall flow of the book， since it made sense and covered a reasonable amount of mental disorders。 Perhaps not as compelling of a read for the average person， but。。。 my personal bias is clouding my objectivity。 3。5 stars // This genuinely made me continue exercising daily， although the gyms are closed now :'） I also appreciate the chapter on women， especially because most men in the medical field tend to assume the male default。 Actually， I enjoyed the overall flow of the book， since it made sense and covered a reasonable amount of mental disorders。 Perhaps not as compelling of a read for the average person， but。。。 my personal bias is clouding my objectivity。 。。。more
Bonnie
，
My brain and I are more motivated after reading this！
Bob
，
Good information on how exercise impacts the brain， it certainly motivated me to get moving more。
Max Tsudowood
，
It's a well-written， non-fiction on the tremendous benefits of exercise on the brain。 Using findings from the recent growth in exercise science at the time of publishing in 2008， Dr。 Ratey lays out physical activity's - mostly aerobic-related but strength training's impact is also present - positive impact on the mind and body， including promoting learning， moderating depression and attention deficit， and alleviating age-related frailty。 Studies on mouse models are notable， and therefore raises It's a well-written， non-fiction on the tremendous benefits of exercise on the brain。 Using findings from the recent growth in exercise science at the time of publishing in 2008， Dr。 Ratey lays out physical activity's - mostly aerobic-related but strength training's impact is also present - positive impact on the mind and body， including promoting learning， moderating depression and attention deficit， and alleviating age-related frailty。 Studies on mouse models are notable， and therefore raises questions on whether their results can be extended to humans but such studies are expected in an newly emerging field of science。 There are numerous citations from randomized controlled trials conducted on humans as well。 These， along with memorable anecdotes on the uptake of exercise by various individuals to deal with a mental health issue， clearly show exercise's ability to normalize hormonal imbalances associated with various cognitive disorders by stressing the body。 It's important to note that the authors aren't pushing any idea that physical activity is a cure for all mental disorders。 Dropouts of depressed patients in exercise studies are expected， physical activity enables an ADHD individual to hyperfocus for only a few hours， and any type of workout isn't going to break an addict's dependence on a substance。 However， physical activity works just as well as some antidepressants and replicates the effects of cognitive behavioural therapy， lessens one's dosage of ADHD medication in order to remain focused， and provides a much-needed distraction for addicts with cravings and soothes their withdrawal symptoms。 It's universal aftereffect of a strong sense of self-efficacy is， arguably， its greatest and underappreciated benediction。 。。。more
Tony
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This book will give you many reasons to work out。
Gustavo Schroeder
，
If you could sum up Spark in three words， what would they be？Important， motivational， important，What did you like best about this story？The author presents many examples of studies that relate brain performance to the body。 He then interprets the meaning of these studies in his。 own words。 While I loved the fact that they included many studies to make the point come across clearer， this is also what I actually liked the least about the book as well。 There are so many examples， that while I was l If you could sum up Spark in three words， what would they be？Important， motivational， important，What did you like best about this story？The author presents many examples of studies that relate brain performance to the body。 He then interprets the meaning of these studies in his。 own words。 While I loved the fact that they included many studies to make the point come across clearer， this is also what I actually liked the least about the book as well。 There are so many examples， that while I was listening to the audiobook I said "OK， I get it now。 Just tell me what I have to do to optimize my health and my brain。" But by the end of the book， I think that these studies benefit the book because it plants the seed of getting off your ass and doing something very deep in your brain。What does Walter Dixon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book？The narration is solid。 Good job there by Dixon。Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting？In a way， yes。 Because I wanted to know what I had to do to optimize my brain function and I wanted to know it fast！ However， the book does mention so many scientific studies and while it never gets super technical， it does feel sometimes a bit like reading the studies and for that reason alone， I had to finish the book in several days。Any additional comments？What I learned:*Exercise is better at treating depression than some antidepressants。*Working out in the morning primes the brain for learning later in the day。*Depression is defined by an absence of moving toward anything。 Exercise is important because it gets you going。*Our ancestors walked 5-10 miles each day。 Meanwhile。 modern homo sapiens has turned into a couch potato。*If you don't move， your brain is literally dying。 We evolved to move。 So， exercise may be the fountain of youth。*Exercise can also help with focus and addiction: If you feel unfocused or start to crave something you don't need， jump， go out for a quick jog or do 30 jumping jacks。 Anything to snap out of it！*Some people are more prone to addiction than others。 This is called Reward Deficiency Syndrome and it means your brain somehow takes Dopamine away。*We are social creatures！ Being alone is not good for the brain and apparently， working out with other people or at least around other people is better than going at it alone。*Sex increases dopamine levels 50 to 100 percent， cocaine sends dopamine skyrocketing 300 to 800 percent beyond normal levels。*The one proven way to live longer is to consume fewer calories—at least if you’re a lab rat。 In experiments in which rodents eat 30 percent fewer calories， they live up to 40 percent longer than animals allowed to eat as much as they want。*Low-carb diets may help you lose weight， but they’re not good for your brain。 Whole grains have complex carbohydrates that supply a steady flow of energy rather than the spike and crash of simple sugars， and they’re necessary to transport amino acids such as tryptophan into the brain。What the Doc recommends:*Follow our ancestors: Walk or jog every day， Run a couple of times a week， and Go for the kill every now and then。 In other words， do some form of aerobic activity every day。 He recommends more specifically:+4 Days a week （65-75% of Max HR） for an hour。+2 Days a week （75-90% of Max HR） for 45 min or 20 min HIIT。+Incorporate a class with other people that involves skill （Yoga， Martial Arts。。。）+Lift some weights 2 times/ week。Of course， these are just recommendations based on science。 But the important thing is that you get moving in some way or other。 Anything is always better than nothing。 。。。more
Katariina Theresa
，
Very informative and interestingly written。 I used this book for my research on exercise affecting the brain and it helped a lot。 I recommend。
Terrafied
，
I know exercise is good for the body but after a tough three years I needed more than that。 I need to understand why。 Also， learning and how the brain works is interesting to me so I wanted to know how exercise effected these。 I wasn't disappointed！ Now if I need a motivation I can read a page in this book。 I know exercise is good for the body but after a tough three years I needed more than that。 I need to understand why。 Also， learning and how the brain works is interesting to me so I wanted to know how exercise effected these。 I wasn't disappointed！ Now if I need a motivation I can read a page in this book。 。。。more
Jitesh Chhaparwal
，
Spark is a book about exercise and how it helps in addiction， depression， dementia， Aging and other places。 The book goes in depth on the technical aspects of dopamine， BDNFs and IGF-1 and how it affects neural pathways， blood vessels etc。 But is also supported with stories and anecdotes。 Well worth a read if you are still on the non-exercise bandwagon and for the already converts this book will give you a lot of boost with hard science。
Georgiana
，
Lost a star for speeung the usual nonsense about the supposed evils of obesity as measured by BMI （which was never intended for use on an individual basis） and marvels of dieting （it's not as simple as calories in versus calories out）， but otherwise excellent， and really helpful。 Lost a star for speeung the usual nonsense about the supposed evils of obesity as measured by BMI （which was never intended for use on an individual basis） and marvels of dieting （it's not as simple as calories in versus calories out）， but otherwise excellent， and really helpful。 。。。more
Becky
，
Lots of studies to indicate exercise is important for brain health & maintenance， especially as we get older。 Lots of references to how the brain evolved - circular logic makes no sense。 More wordy and repetitive than it needed to be， in my opinion。
Amy
，
Fascinating book that proves what is practically a no-brainer。。。exercise is good not just for the body but for the mind！ Some parts are science-y and dry， and I'd luv to see this updated with today's research results and technology。 Fascinating book that proves what is practically a no-brainer。。。exercise is good not just for the body but for the mind！ Some parts are science-y and dry， and I'd luv to see this updated with today's research results and technology。 。。。more
Trent
，
Yes， exercise does wonders to boost your mind and emotions。 If you want to dive into the technical details of how/why it works， here's your book。 General takeaway for me - daily exercise will help in all aspects of my life。 Do it！ Yes， exercise does wonders to boost your mind and emotions。 If you want to dive into the technical details of how/why it works， here's your book。 General takeaway for me - daily exercise will help in all aspects of my life。 Do it！ 。。。more
Reddle
，
Great book， a lot of scientific references regarding anandamide， IGF-1， HGH， BDNF， Catecholamines and androgen regulation。 This book was a treat， a re-read is in order since there's plenty of advice compressed into this book that are relevant to large cohorts of people （particularly myself）。You'll benefit from this book if you have any of the following:-Mental health issues （In the lines of depression or anxiety， which can be reduced by exercise in more ways that meagre self-esteem）。-ADHD （Notab Great book， a lot of scientific references regarding anandamide， IGF-1， HGH， BDNF， Catecholamines and androgen regulation。 This book was a treat， a re-read is in order since there's plenty of advice compressed into this book that are relevant to large cohorts of people （particularly myself）。You'll benefit from this book if you have any of the following:-Mental health issues （In the lines of depression or anxiety， which can be reduced by exercise in more ways that meagre self-esteem）。-ADHD （Notably in catecholaminergic feedback， elation of short-term stress to enable mid-long term relaxation and improve mental clarity。-Sedentary lifestyle （Simply put， you're built to move。 A simple statement but one that you'll find to have excess implications if you do not necessitate the act of aerobic exercise。）-Age management （Other books are better for this concept but this offers a good cross-analysis of exercise and age-management， reducing oxidative stress， growth factor， osteoporosis， brain volume decrease。 The list is enumerable。This book offers about a 100+ different reasons a to why you should exercise。 We all know it's good for us but the extent to which we take this on board is negligible。 Consider this healthy propaganda to convince your sceptical that， without a shadow of a doubt: you need to get moving。 。。。more
Libny Castillo
，
Great read:） The author had a good way of keeping readers roped in with sometimes silly， but otherwise point proving stories。 I would recommend this book time， and time， again but unless you’re familiar with brain anatomy and the body layout， I can see where even with John’s great descriptions， it might be hard to grasp the system he’s describing。 Being a high schooler and interested in exercise I was able to compare this in real time joyfully。 I’m aware that joy might not be there for someone w Great read:） The author had a good way of keeping readers roped in with sometimes silly， but otherwise point proving stories。 I would recommend this book time， and time， again but unless you’re familiar with brain anatomy and the body layout， I can see where even with John’s great descriptions， it might be hard to grasp the system he’s describing。 Being a high schooler and interested in exercise I was able to compare this in real time joyfully。 I’m aware that joy might not be there for someone who has to google what the crap all these fancy words mean lol although you may go through it indifferent to it。 If anyone is looking for motivation， this book is a great way to see all the benefits in an organized way as each chapter is nicely laid out under topics such as DEPRESSION， ADDICTION， ADHD， etc。 and how exercise helps in said areas。 Truth be told， I’ll definitely reflect back to this book when I write a research paper 😆 。。。more
Payel Kundu
，
I read this book as part of a Neuroscience book club I co-run。 I thought it was really significant that participants of the book club said that in the past month， due to reading this book， they felt compelled to exercise more often。 I think John Ratey would be really happy with that result。 The theme of the book is trying to understand why exercise makes us feel better， and then using that knowledge to our advantage。 I was personally very interested in the descriptions of the revolutionary exerc I read this book as part of a Neuroscience book club I co-run。 I thought it was really significant that participants of the book club said that in the past month， due to reading this book， they felt compelled to exercise more often。 I think John Ratey would be really happy with that result。 The theme of the book is trying to understand why exercise makes us feel better， and then using that knowledge to our advantage。 I was personally very interested in the descriptions of the revolutionary exercise program at Naperville Central High School because my partner Benjamin has often described to me how jealous they were of nearby Naperville’s Adventure Education gym classes。 I heard fables of those kids jumping off of diving boards in kayaks and learning to right themselves again as part of gym class。 Also， as a lifelong sports lover， I think instilling in children a love for physical exercise is one of the most important things you can do for their health， their mental stability， and their social lives。 Seeing Ratey’s data on how much it also improved their academic capability was wonderful。 Ratey describes many of the mechanisms through which exercise benefits cognition。 For example， when muscles are exercised， they produce proteins called growth factors。 These proteins get into the brain and make cells more able to form new connections。 Forming new connections is one of the main neurological mechanisms of learning。 They also supply the building blocks for new brain cells and connections。 Exercise robustly increases neurogenesis in rodent models， and probably in humans as well。 one of the major themes is that exercise primes the brain to be prepared to learn and change， and so pairing exercise with learning seems to be extra beneficial。 Ratey writes about the beneficial effects of exercise on anxiety， depression， addiction， aging， and attention。 He makes sure to include specific and actionable research-informed advice on what exercise regimen is the most beneficial。 Aerobic exercise seems to be best for cognitive function， anti-inflammatory effects， neurogenesis in mice， BDNF increases， and vascular health。 All kinds of exercise seem to be great for mood and cognition including aerobic exercise， resistance exercise， balance， and flexibility。 The research on exercise has evolved a lot since Ratey wrote this book in 2008。 I’d love for him to write an updated version and address:1。tWe know exercise increases neurogenesis， but how many of those new cells become integrated into neural circuits？ Can we increase this integration？ 2。tThe most robust effects of exercise have been seen on previously sedentary older adults。 How much does it benefit younger adults？ 3。tWhat other systems does exercise interact with for beneficial cognitive effects？ In addition to growth factors， are there effects on perhaps the immune system， the gut-brain-axis， eating patterns？ Etc。 Overall， marvelously readable， informative， and important book。 I hope everyone who reads it feels inspired to do more aerobic exercise。 。。。more
Dylan Brink
，
Incredible。 John J。 Ratey， M。D。 embarks upon a fascinating and entertaining journey through the mind-body connection， presenting startling research to prove that exercise is truly our best defense against everything from depression to ADD to addiction to aggression to menopause to Alzheimer's。 Filled with amazing case studies， Spark comprehensively explores the connection between exercise and the brain。 It will change forever the way you think about your morning run -- -or， for that matter， simp Incredible。 John J。 Ratey， M。D。 embarks upon a fascinating and entertaining journey through the mind-body connection， presenting startling research to prove that exercise is truly our best defense against everything from depression to ADD to addiction to aggression to menopause to Alzheimer's。 Filled with amazing case studies， Spark comprehensively explores the connection between exercise and the brain。 It will change forever the way you think about your morning run -- -or， for that matter， simply the way you think。 。。。more
Vlad
，
The essential idea of this book is simple: do exercise， run， swim， etc。 and your brain and body will thank you。 You can understand this point of view right after the first chapter and save your time。Anyway， the major part of this book is really boring: too many needless acronyms， terms and detailed explanations。 Sometimes it's hard to continue reading。Honestly， I skimmed this book。 I found useful only the first， the second and the last chapters。 That's it。 The essential idea of this book is simple: do exercise， run， swim， etc。 and your brain and body will thank you。 You can understand this point of view right after the first chapter and save your time。Anyway， the major part of this book is really boring: too many needless acronyms， terms and detailed explanations。 Sometimes it's hard to continue reading。Honestly， I skimmed this book。 I found useful only the first， the second and the last chapters。 That's it。 。。。more
Amy
，
If this book doesn’t motivate you to exercise， nothing will。 I think I’ve talked about this book as much as I did about Breath。
Kelli Nienstedt
，
Loved this book for all the knowledge and it was very motivating to me。
Niv
，
Great book that delivers exactly what its title promises。 If you're looking for a book that's light on the science， this isn't it。 However， if you're curious to know exactly what's going on in the brain when we engage in exercise， as well as the myriad benefits that come along with these neurological changes， then this book is chock full of illuminating information。 Ratey does a great job of illustrating from the outset that the brain and the body work in tandem， and that what's good for one is Great book that delivers exactly what its title promises。 If you're looking for a book that's light on the science， this isn't it。 However， if you're curious to know exactly what's going on in the brain when we engage in exercise， as well as the myriad benefits that come along with these neurological changes， then this book is chock full of illuminating information。 Ratey does a great job of illustrating from the outset that the brain and the body work in tandem， and that what's good for one is good for the other。 Exercise is as good for the brain as it is for the body。 Using this knowledge as a foundation， Ratey presents us with scientific evidence showing how the neurological changes that occur with exercise have benefits for learning， memory， attention， the ability to handle stress， anxiety， depression， the ability to fight addiction， women's hormones， and the way we age。 If you're skeptical about the usefulness of exercise beyond its ability to affect physique， Ratey presents plenty of proof that it is exponentially more beneficial than many realize。I loved that the first chapter didn't immediately hit the reader with the neuroscience。 Instead， the book begins with a heartwarming and inspiring case study of a school program that improved students' grades， test scores， social skills and emotional wellness through exercise。 While the rest of the book provides a lot of fascinating studies and sympathetic anecdotes， I felt that the beginning chapter was the most powerful。 It draws you into the book with the subtle reminder of the power of exercise in shaping the bodies and minds of the future。If you're into neuroscience， health， medicine， or exercise science， I believe that this book is absolutely worth the read。 However， I do wish that more of the presented information was more accessible。 I can see how some readers may find the book to be too jargon-y， which is a shame because just about everyone can benefit from its contents。 This information is powerful and holds the potential to be empowering for anyone actively seeking to improve their life。 。。。more
Nick
，
Great book on the link between mental health and exercise。 It explored how exercise can help with different aspects of mental health （like anxiety， depression， and learning） and provided copious amounts of science to back up his claims。
Ben Zimmerman
，
Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain was written in 2008 by John Ratey， who is a doctor at Harvard Medical School。 This book connects personally to me a lot because I grew up right next to Naperville， IL， and got to do some of the "Adventure Education" programs in PE that he talks about in the first chapter。 I also "science grew up" at the University of Illinois doing involved in some of this work。 The neuroscience program there has been really influenced by a lot of th Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain was written in 2008 by John Ratey， who is a doctor at Harvard Medical School。 This book connects personally to me a lot because I grew up right next to Naperville， IL， and got to do some of the "Adventure Education" programs in PE that he talks about in the first chapter。 I also "science grew up" at the University of Illinois doing involved in some of this work。 The neuroscience program there has been really influenced by a lot of the players in this book， and particularly Art Kramer， who was on my committee while I was there， and is my "science uncle，" because he was in graduate school at the same time and with the same advisor as my own mentors， and also just one of the most interesting people I've ever met。 The theme of the book is trying to understand why exercise makes us feel better， and then using that knowledge to our advantage。 The first section introduces exercise through some of the dramatic effects that it was having at a program developed at Naperville high school， which shifted the PE program's focus to physical fitness through monitoring effort and also incorporating social and motor learning opportunities as part of that effort， rather than doing things like learning rules to sports。 The program ended up having dramatic impact on test scores and other areas outside of physical activity in the students' life。 The rest of the book explores the mechanisms behind exercise's great benefits to the rest of the brain。The book is very well-done， and has aged well。 Although research on the effects of exercise on the brain has expanded into some new areas and also psychological conditions， most of the points in the book are well-validated now and represent the foundational work of a lot of newer research。 One thing that was very interesting to me reading this book was just realizing how certain pressures on science influence how we talk about things。 It seemed like when this book was written， Ratey is really focused on the "learning" and "social" aspects of exercise。 This was influenced by the animal literature that dominated at the time because there were all these studies on the beneficial effects of enriched environments。 Ratey makes a lot of recommendations drawing from this literature， like you should really go beyond just putting one foot in front of another and try to challenge yourself to learn motor skills with your exercise。But as this research has matured， I think that scientists found that the largest， most replicable effects of exercise were in older adults。 You could more easily see changes to the brain and changes in growth factors that we see relating to the beneficial effects of exercise in rodents。 And then in older adults， vascular factors and inflammation seems to matter a lot more， especially in previously sedentary older adults， and aerobic exercise is really good at helping those things。 So now there are a lot more studies using aerobic exercise at the primary intervention。 Now we're at a point where I think most scientists would recommend doing aerobic exercise if you're looking for the best exercise regimen rather than yoga or rock climbing， which are much less aerobic， but much more skill based。 This is definitely a great book to read if you want to get motivated to start exercising。 There were a few "just-so" arguments about why we should be exercising as humans， which seemed a little weaker to me， but overall， this is a great popular science book that nicely summarizes the research on exercise and the brain even though it came out more than a decade ago。 。。。more
Daniel Beckwith
，