CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- While exercise is constantly touted as the best way to have a fit and healthy body, it may also be the single most important tool to combat everything from obesity to depression to ADD and Alzheimer's, according to research by one Harvard professor.
Moderate exercise, even just five or 10 minutes at a time, can help supercharge the brain's mental circuits and help beat stress, sharpen thinking and even enhance memory, said Dr. John Ratey, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School during Tuesday night's University of Charleston Speaker Series, sponsored by DOW Chemical Foundation.
Ratey's lecture, "Exercise For You and Your Brain," focused on how exercise can be beneficial not only for a person's body, but also for their mind through a unique yet important mind-body connection.
Dr. Ratey's most recent book, "SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain," encourages people to reach their full potential by embracing exercise as an essential for both the brain and the body.
Ratey encouraged everyone to change the way they think about their morning run -- or just the way that they think.
"We're hunters and gatherers by nature," he said. "We used to move 10 to 14 miles a day on average," he said.
Ten thousand years later, our genetics haven't changed that much, but our lifestyle has, especially in the last 40 years. "We've become completely sedentary," he said. The average adult spends nine-and-one-half hours in front of a screen of some sort every day, he said, severely limiting time dedicated to physical activity. But changing up a work routine, like getting a taller desk and standing instead of sitting, or setting aside 30 minutes to jog on a treadmill, will not only effect the body physically, but will also increase mental capacity by opening up the brain. "What's happening in the body is the heart rate's increasing and blood flow is changing, and the brain is activated differently than when they're sitting down," he said. But one person thought they saw a flaw in Ratey's study and asked if physical activity makes you smarter, then why is there such an abundance of 'dumb jock syndrome?' "I never said exercise makes you smarter," he said with a smirk. "Exercise prepares the brain to be better, but you still have to want to learn. Some people are naturally more inclined than others." After moderate exercise, the brain seems to work a little more efficiently, Ratey said. When someone exercises, you see an increase in neurotransmitters, dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. Those hormones naturally regulate one's mood, attention span and decision-making processes.
"If you have all of those going, the brain will be in a better state of equilibrium," something Ratey thinks is essential to increase optimum brain functionality. Ratey said that short session of exercise once a day will not only increase physical health, but will also help open the brain to a whole new level of mental capacity. "When we talk of exercise, we say we're going to do it to get in shape, and get fit and it's all about the body," he said. "I'd like to think it's really for the brain and the side effects on the body are just extra." One thing Ratey pointed out in his lecture that may resonate with many West Virginians is the correlation between obesity and lower IQ rates. According to several studies, Ratey said that early onset of obesity can drastically effect a child's IQ for their entire lives. "Carrying all of that extra load really has an effect on the brain," he said. In fact, one study shows that obese children can have up to a 30-point lower IQ than their normal weight siblings. In general, the normal variance between siblings is only five points, he said. While it may seem hard to believe, being overweight can drastically affect someone's IQ, he said, especially if they are overweight their entire lives. "Overweight people have less brain power over their whole life period because that is something the brain doesn't recover from," Ratey said. "It's an adaptive organ, but it can't change that."
