Exercise Can improve learning

Exercise and the Brain: How Fitness Impacts learning

We always know that when we get out and do some exercise, we always feel better afterwards.   We know that when we do exercise it's great for the heart and lungs and also helping to maintain and grow muscle tissue.
​But did you know exercise is important for brain function.
Dr. John Ratey, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard medical school has explored the connection between exercise and the brain. He found there was strong evidence that aerobic exercise physically remodels the brain for peak performance on all fronts. In his book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, Dr. Ratey writes that exercise improves learning on three levels: "First, it optimises your mind-set to improve alertness, attention, and motivation; second, it prepares and encourages nerve cells to bind to one another, which is the cellular basis for logging in new information; and third it spurs the development of new nerve cells from stem cells in the hippocampus." In short, not only does exercise help the brain to get ready to learn but it actually makes retaining information easier.
A suburban school district outside of Chicago in the United States is proving this point. The Naperville, Illinois district implemented an early morning exercise program called "Zero Hour", which sought to determine whether working out before school gives students a boost in their reading ability and other subjects. Since introducing this program, the district has seen remarkable results in both wellness and academic performance.
Dr Ratey's research also shows that that exercise can be the best defence against a lot of the common mental health issues that students struggle with.
Dr Ratey found that exercise can ward off the ill effects of stress, alleviates anxiety and has a positive impact on depressive symptoms. Studies suggest that endorphins produced in the brain during exercise contribute to a general feeling of well-being.
Enrolling your children in swimming lessons and  swim squads not only enables the children to be safer around water but also has all these other major benefits that can contribute to an improvement in a child's wellbeing.

Author

John Sortwell - Centre Manager and keen advocate of the importance of exercise and physical activity for children.