P r o f_i l e
Dr Ratey has found that a lot of
people who have learning problems
also have problems with balance
brain; studies show that the babies
P
of mothers who exercise while
H
O
pregnant are more responsive.
T
O
:
In the UK, there have also been
I
ST
O
studies into the ef_f ect of exercise
C
K
on post-natal depression. T_h is
.
C
O
M
condition is mainly treated with /
L
I
medicine, but these studies added
V
F
R
exercise too, and the mums in the
I
I
S
hyphen.cap
exercise groups did better.
L
A
R
S
E
N
Are there any other areas where
exercise impacts mental health?
T_h e reason I started this project
was a result of learning how exercise com- oxide which helps make the arteries young a very positive ef_f ect from anaerobic or
bats depression and poor mood. Now, there again. We also know that fat content in the weight training too. And it’s not just about
are a number of very signif_i cant studies body negatively correlates with cognitive intensity. T_h e amount of time is important
looking at the benef_i ts of exercise compared performance, and a lot of studies are now as well – going as fast as you possibly can
to anti-depressants, which have shown showing that obesity really begins to kill for three.fittedzero.fitted seconds. With deconditioned and
exercise to be just as ef_f ective (SBzero.fittedsix.fitted/one.fitted pone.fittedone.fittedzero.fitted). brain cells, particularly in children and overweight people, though, you won’t be
When you exercise, you release neural older adults. In fact, many of the people able to start there. You’ll need to build
transmitters in the brain, which is what working on Alzheimer’s are calling it ‘type them up, focusing on conditioning and
many of our psychiatric drugs are designed three.fitted diabetes’, because it’s so related to our building muscle to reduce fat.
to do. But you do it naturally, and eventu- sedentary lives and our over-fed state. Balance training is also important. We’re
ally you build up stores of these learning more and more, for example, that
chemicals, and receptors for them, balance has an ef_f ect especially on atten-
which change the brain.
“T_h e more thinking you have to
tion, memory and moods. It’s therefore of
benef_i t across the board – for older people
You say people became do while you’re moving, the better
and for children with conditions such as
less anxious. Does
the ef_f ect on the brain. Running
dyslexia or ADD. T_h e Dore programme,
exercise treat anxiety?
for instance, involves a series of exercises
T_h e chapter on anxiety and stress on the treadmill will get your that are basically balance and cerebellar
is the most important one in the
heart rate up, but if you add in
exercises to help train the cerebellum and
book. It looks at how exercise improve reading and attention. T_h e Dore
reduces stress on many dif_f erent a cognitive challenge, you will research was pretty good at f_i rst but has
levels, and how it af_f ects the brain’s not been repeated much, which has caused
response to stress – its ability to
experience even more benef_i ts.”
much controversy in the f_i eld. Neverthe-
cope with it, rather than over- less, I think balance is important: a lot of
reacting when it’s encountered. people who have ADD and learning prob-
If our nerve cells become more resilient,
Did anything surprise you?
lems do also have co-ordination problems.
our brain does too, meaning that we’re T_h e big surprise was the ef_f ect exercise has
able to withstand more. on women in pregnancy. In Germany they
How can operators tap into all this?
even have exercise bikes in their labour Fitness instructors should not only build
What’s the science behind all this?
and delivery suites, as their studies have people up towards the ideal intense bursts
T_h ere are many wonderful things released shown that exercise can reduce the need of activity, but should also continually test
when you exercise. It would take a long for pain medication. people with dif_f erent kinds of exercise
time to explain it all, but one such thing T_h en there’s the idea of exercise as stress tasks. Running on the treadmill will get
is a protein called BDNF (brain-derived inoculation. With ‘good stress’, you chal- your heart rate up, but if you add a cogni-
neurotrophic factor), which has a lot to lenge your brain and then have a recovery tive challenge at the same time – such as
do with mood, learning and preserving period during which growth occurs. When moving in a certain way or having to run
the cells. I call it Miracle-Gro or ‘brain you learn French, for example, you only around obstacles – you will experience
fertiliser’, as it enhances brain function by stress one part of the brain – but when even more benef_i ts. T_h e more thinking
encouraging the growth of connections you exercise, you stress your whole brain you have to do while you’re moving, the
between individual brain cells. because of everything your body’s doing. better the ef_f ect on the brain.
Also, although you don’t release much T_h e momentum behind the use of
human growth hormone when you’re
What sort of exercise brings about
exercise for mental, as well as physical,
older – it decreases af_t er adolescence
these brain-enhancing benef_i ts?
health is gathering pace. But my objective
– when you do a couple of three.fittedzero.fitted-second in- T_h e big thing is getting your heart rate is to fundamentally change our culture,
tervals of very intense exercise, you release up, so aerobic training is best – the re- so we re-learn the benef_i ts of exercise and
human growth hormone, as well as nitrous ally good stuf_f is sprinting – but there’s work it in as part of our everyday lives. ●
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