Exercise and the mind-body connection

MARIA HOWARD
Published: March 1, 2009
Richmond Times Dispatch

We all know that exercise can help you lose weight and reduce certain health risks. But new research reveals that getting a good sweat going can be helpful in other ways as well. Among the benefits, aerobic exercise can eliminate depression, reduce the chance of getting dementia and make you smarter.

That's right. It can make people of all ages - from preschool to retirement - perform better intellectually.

Dr. John J. Ratey, a Harvard Medical School associate professor and psychiatrist, recently released a book dedicated entirely to the connection between exercise and the brain. He says most people realize that working out makes you feel good.

"But the real reason we feel so good when we get our blood pumping is that it makes the brain function at its best, and in my view, this benefit of physical activity is far more important - and fascinating - than what it does for the body," Ratey says in his introduction to "Spark - The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain."

Ratey will be in Richmond this month to talk about his book, which is subtitled, "Supercharge Your Mental Circuits to Beat Stress, Sharpen Your Thinking, Lift Your Mood, Boost Your Memory and Much More."

Another recent conference in Richmond touched on some of the same subjects. "Save Our Kids: The Obesity Crisis Conference," held Feb. 18, focused on the need for daily physical activity for school-age children as a way to fight the growing percentage of overweight children in this country. Richmond SportsBackers put together this second-annual conference.

Dr. Minot Cleveland, a medical doctor and chairman of Physical Education for All Kids (PEAK) in Oregon, began his talk at the obesity conference by referring to what the Greeks knew long ago.

"Physical activity is good for the body, mind and spirit of a human being," he said.

Cleveland pointed to the words of Plato: "The body is the source of all energy and initiative." Then, he quoted Aristotle: "Life is movement."

Indeed, these ancient philosophers had an opinion on this subject, and their words are ringing clear today as Americans grasp for ways to fight rising obesity and health-care costs.

Ratey begins his "Spark" book with a similar quote from Plato: "In order for man to succeed in life, God provided him with two means, education and physical activity. Not separately, one for the soul and the other for the body, but for the two together. With these two means, man can attain perfection."

In today's remote-controlled world, we tend to forget the importance of movement, Ratey contends.

"Our culture treats the mind and body as if they are separate entities, and I want to reconnect the two," Ratey writes in his book.

And he does. Quite eloquently.

In case study after case study, Ratey shows how exercise changes things. It can improve test scores, reduce behavioral problems and ease attention difficulties for students. It can lower stress levels for working adults and boost memory for retirees.

It also lessens the need for depression medication and helps individuals overcome addictions. For women, it can be a crucial component to smoothing out hormonal highs and lows.

In Ratey's view, there's no end to the amount of positive influence that exercise can have on a person. He concludes his book by urging readers to "grab your gym bag instead of the remote, or spend time on the field rather than on the sidelines."

Maria Howard is a group exercise instructor for the YMCA of Greater Richmond. Her column runs every other week in Sunday Flair. Contact her at flair@timesdispatch.com.