P r o f_i l e KATE CRACKNELL guillemotright.cap JOURNALIST guillemotright.cap SPA BUSINESS
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Dr John Ratey
Neuroscientif_i c studies have shown that
exercise at any age protects the brain and
encourages longevity of cognitive abilities
We talk to the Harvard Medical School associate
took maths and science tests and according
to TIMSS – the Trends in Mathematics and
professor about his latest book, SPARK, which looks at
Science Study – they came top in the world
the impact of exercise on the brain and mental wellbeing
in science achievements and sixth in maths,
even though they were spending four.fittedfive.fitted minutes
a day devoted to physical f_i tness.
hink of the benef_i ts of exercise solutions will soon start to come to the
T
and beautiful, toned bodies market, and brain f_i tness programmes will
Are there also benef_i ts
spring to mind. T_h ink of the also be present in facilities such as spas.
for older people?
advantages of physical activity in While sof_t ware packages are one route Yes, most of our work has been done
relation to health and you might make the spas could take, a simpler solution to with middle-aged and elderly people and
link with healthier hearts and bones. Rarely brain health already lies on the doorstep: the impact that exercise has on keeping
would you connect it to how well our minds exercise. One expert in this area is Dr John our brain’s cognitive abilities alive as we
function, yet with an ageing population, Ratey, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical age, and its ability to cut the incidence
brain health (see pfour.fittedthree.fitted), or brain f_i tness, is an School. He has, for many years, focused of Alzheimer’s disease in half. Indeed,
extremely potentially lucrative market. on attention def_i cit disorder (ADD) and exercise has been shown to delay the
Colin Milner, CEO of the International aggression but admits that he’s always been decline by as much as one.fittedzero.fitted to one.fittedfive.fitted years. It was
Council on Active Aging says: “What fascinated by the ef_f ect exercise has on noticed in the early one.fittednine.fittednine.fittedzero.fitteds that exercise had
happens when the largest, richest and mental health. In his latest book, SPARK, a marvellous impact, over and above its ef-
fastest growing segment of the population he pulls together the huge amount of fect on the cardiac system. T_h at led to the
comes knocking on your door? You open clinical and neuroscientif_i c information f_i rst studies looking at what exercise did to
it. And you open it wide. One such knock on the ef_f ect of exercise on mental health. help protect the brain and make it grow,
being heard around the world is the desire Speaking to Spa Business, Ratey explains resulting in many neuroscientif_i c and
among older adults to maintain their his f_i ndings and explains how spas can tap clinical studies, which produced wonder-
cognitive abilities as they age.” into the interest in brain health. ful evidence of exercise’s ability to preserve
Milner points out that this has led to and even improve cognition.
a surge in cognitive solutions which are
What topics does SPARK cover?
focused on keeping our minds healthy. T_h e f_i rst chapter is about a remarkable
Are there any other groups
In the US alone the brain f_i tness sof_t ware school in Naperville, US. For the last one.fittedeight.fitted
who particularly benef_i t?
market, comprising sof_t ware products years, it has moved its physical education T_h ere’s a whole chapter on women because
designed to keep the brain sharp and (PE) of_f ering away from traditional ball they get more out of exercise. During
in-shape, was estimated to be USdollar.fittedtwo.fittedtwo.fittedfive.fittedm sports to a f_i tness-based daily PE pro- times of hormonal shif_t , especially during
(one.fittedfive.fittedsix.fitted.five.fittedm, sterling.fittedone.fittedthree.fittedtwo.fitted.six.fittedm) by market research gramme. It’s had amazing success: only three.fitted pregnancy, it’s very important that women
company SharpBrains in two.fittedzero.fittedzero.fittedseven.fitted, up from per cent of its kids are overweight, whereas should be moving. It keeps them less
USdollar.fittedone.fittedzero.fittedzero.fittedm (six.fittednine.fitted.five.fittedm, sterling.fittedfive.fittedeight.fitted.nine.fittedm) in two.fittedzero.fittedzero.fittedfive.fitted. the average in US schools is three.fittedseven.fitted per cent. Not depressed, more able to deal with stress,
Milner predicts that more brain f_i tness only that but, in one.fittednine.fittednine.fittednine.fitted, nine.fittedeight.fitted per cent of the kids and has a very positive ef_f ect on the baby’s
4240 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.comm // digital SpSPa BuA BUSINESS 4 2009SineSS 4 2009
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