Spark

written by Matthew Rensberry, MD MBA on 2016-06-14

I recently finished the outstanding book written by John Ratey called, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. As both a medical professional and an active person who loves to exercise, I found this book enlightening, encouraging, and inspirational.

I learned the connection between fitness and attention spans, education, and academic performance. The author broke down neurotransmitters in a simple way that I have never seen so well described before. I loved reviewing the physiology of the brain as Dr. Ratey walked me through.

I found how running reduces anxiety through seven ways: (p106)

It provides distraction
It reduces muscle tension
It builds brain resources
It teaches a different outcome (conditioning)
It reroutes your circuits (relearning)
It improves resilience
It sets you free

None of these are a surprise to those of us who run.

I learned of evidence showing not only does exercise increase norepinephrine but more complex exercise does more! This is perfect for those with ADHD like me....It is better to dance than to walk.

Exercise can combat addiction. It can help people regain control. It helps with PMS - raising tryptophan and thus serotonin in the brain. By balancing dopamine, norepinephrine, and synaptic mediators like BDNF it modulates the effects of hormone changes.

Another interesting effect exercise has on the body is regarding aging. Exercising helps us age - we maintain cardiovascular fitness, fight cancers better, and maintain cognition longer. Dr. Ratey provides a list of how he claims exercise keeps you going as you age: (p233)

Exercise strengthens the cardiovascular system
Exercise regulates fuel (improved glucose metabolism)
Exercise reduces obesity (burns calories and reduces appetite)
Exercise elevates stress threshold
Exercise lifts your mood (staves off/fights depression/anxiety/dementia)
Exercise boosts the immune system
Exercise fortifies your bones
Exercise boosts motivation
Exercise fosters neuroplasticity (improved learning ability, memory, emotional stability, and critical thinking)

The three pillars of a healthy lifestyle: (p238)

Diet
Exercise
Staying mentally active

Interval training was also discussed. Increased intensity was shown to improve congnitive testing results and learning abilities immediately afterward. This is from increases in BDNF and norepinephrine. A single sprint for 30s was shown to generate 6x increase in HGH peaking 2hrs after the sprint. HGH, as he describes, burns belly fat, layers muscle fiber, and pumps brain volume!

All in all, I highly recommend this book to all.