First, I need to state that I have never been a big fan of exercise. I mean I have found ways to actively avoid it
for the vast majority of my life. For two
main reasons: I don’t like to be hot and
I don’t like to sweat.
I hated PE in school. I like to be successful (I’ve talked about that before) and I am just
not an athletically inclined person. PE
was a daily reminder of exactly how non-athletic I was. Ironically, I played tennis in high school, it’s
really the only sport I’ve ever been able to play with any advanced level of
skill. I really love it. Still enjoy playing it.
So, it’s kind of humorous that I picked Spark: TheRevolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey as one of
my reading lists in the Quest. But, when
I was researching the most interesting books out there, it kept coming up by
the experts. I thought since exercise
was part of the Quest, it might be an interesting read early in the
process. I even gave myself two months
to finish it because I was fairly certain the content would bore me to death.
Quite the opposite. I
finished it in three weeks and this book has changed my opinion of exercise
forever. For once it wasn’t about losing
weight and pushing your limits, it was about the impact of exercise on the
brain.
See, I like my brain.
I want it to function well for many, many, many years. I love to read, to think, to be creative and
to learn. The thought of not having that
one day terrifies me. But as I get
older, I see how it gets harder to keep up with everything going on. Over the last year, I felt my creativity
waning. Usually I was sparking with
ideas—all the time. But, based on a
myriad of reasons over the last year, that creativity was slowly fading. And, it was frustrating.
So, I was curious to see if this book could give me a
possible way to combat that physically.
And it did. Ratey does an amazing
job of showing how exercise raises dopamine and activates parts of your brain
that enhance your mental performance.
Our body sends out all kinds of chemicals through different
receptors. It’s a fine balance of
stimulants and calming agents. You need
both of them to stay at your strongest mental state. They don’t always have to be in there in
equal parts—sometimes you need more
stimulant, sometimes you need more calm.
Sometimes you have too much of one and need more of the other. That’s where exercise comes into play. It puts the right agents in your body
naturally to help reduce the need for medicine or other forms of balance. It doesn’t always eliminate the need for
medication, but it can help improve the effects or reduce the amount.
Keeping in mind that your body and your brain are a constant
balancing act of stimulants and calming agents, you can see where exercise can
have an effect on many conditions that we all deal with. Ratey specifically addresses learning, stress,
anxiety, depression, attention deficit, addiction, and aging. He goes into detail
about how exercise can have a positive impact on each of these conditions.
Here were some of my major learnings from the book:
- When we exercise in response to stress, we’re doing what human beings have evolved to do over the past several million years. It’s like flight or fight. Our body should react to stress—not try to avoid it.
- The cortisol that creates belly fat is caused by stress. Exercising to combat the stress as it’s happening will help stop the belly fat before it comes.
- When you are going through bouts of stress and depression, it’s the chemical makeup of your brain that prevents you from remembering things and causing trouble with learning—not your “mood” or lack of interest.
- Exercise and socialization are evolutionary antidotes to stress. It’s how we were originally designed!
- The great thing about exercise is that it fires up the recovery process in our muscles and our neurons. It leaves our bodies and minds stronger and more resilient, better able to handle future challenges, to think on our feet and adapt more easily. (pg. 87)
- The more stress you have, the more your body needs to move to keep your brain running smoothly.
- Marijuana, exercise, and chocolate all activate the same receptors in the brain.
- Start slow, stay connected to people and stay consistent on a routine. As you stay consistent, your body will adapt itself to take advantage of the activity.
These are just a few of the things I underlined as I read
this, but the book is filled with real-life examples of how people are using
exercise to keep their minds and their moods healthy. If you need proof, this is the place to find
it.
So, my big takeaway.
This book has a lot of biology in it.
But, it approached exercise in a way that I needed to hear. It finally spoke to something I care
about.
I put this theory into practice. I started finding ways to exercise before
meetings that required brainstorming or strategic planning. I have to say, it works. I feel and see my “spark” re-igniting.
And of course the big question is always weight. I’ve been amused as people hear I’m working out regularly because they immediately ask if I’ve lost weight or if I feel better. I respond, “I don’t know, because I’m not doing it for my weight, I’m doing it for my BRAIN.” My weight is what it is.
I’ve been big, I’ve been small, I’ve been in between—it will always be a
journey to me so exercise for weight has never been a motivation factor. But my brain?
I want to keep it moving forever and I want to get as much out of it as
possible. It can’t be at its best, if I
am not moving. Exercise is the key to keeping
it around for a long time. I’m sure the other benefits of exercise will kick in (or may already have) but in my book, a Jennie who moves is a Jennie who’s has a happy brain. Happy brain=happy life.
So these concepts (along with my awesome get moving coach, Kelly) helps
me to stay motivated during my work outs.
And thank you to everyone (especially my patient mother and sister) who’ve I’ve annoyed
with every detail of this book as I’ve read it for the last month. Now let's get our brains moving!
