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| Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain | 
 enlarge | Author: John J. Ratey
Creator: Eric Hagerman
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
Buy New: $13.85
You Save: $11.14 (45%)
New (31) Used (15) from $13.29
Avg. Customer Rating:  40 reviews
Sales Rank: 609
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.6 x 6.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 0316113506
Dewey Decimal Number: 612.76
EAN: 9780316113502
ASIN: 0316113506
Publication Date: January 10, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Absolutely Brand New & In Stock. 100% 30-Day Money Back. Direct from our warehouse. Ships by USPS. 1+ million customers served-In business since 1986. Happy Customers is Our #1 Goal. Toll Free Support
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Product Description
A groundbreaking and fascinating investigation into the transformative effects of exercise on the brain, from the bestselling author and renowned psychiatrist John J. Ratey, MD.
Did you know you can beat stress, lift your mood, fight memory loss, sharpen your intellect, and function better than ever simply by elevating your heart rate and breaking a sweat? The evidence is incontrovertible: Aerobic exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance.
In SPARK, John J. Ratey, M.D., embarks upon a fascinating and entertaining journey through the mind-body connection, presenting startling research to prove that exercise is truly our best defense against everything from depression to ADD to addiction to aggression to menopause to Alzheimer's. Filled with amazing case studies (such as the revolutionary fitness program in Naperville, Illinois, which has put this school district of 19,000 kids first in the world of science test scores), SPARK is the first book to explore comprehensively the connection between exercise and the brain. It will change forever the way you think about your morning run---or, for that matter, simply the way you think
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| Customer Reviews: Read 35 more reviews...
The Brain on Exercise January 9, 2008
94 out of 95 found this review helpful
This book explains in clear terms the role exercise plays in our mental processes. Moving our muscles produces proteins that play roles in our highest thought processes. Ratey says, "thinking is the internalization of movement." He illustrates this with the story of the sea squirt that hatches with a rudimentary spinal cord and 300 brain cells. It has only hours to find a spot of coral on which to put down roots or die. When it does put down roots, it eats its brain. According to Ratey only a moving animal needs a brain.
He begins with the value exercise has for the learning process in high school students: improved academic performance, alertness, attention and motivation.
He cites studies that say we can alter our mental states by physically moving. He said depression is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. He then presents a chapter where depression is relieved in case studies by exercise.
Among the areas Ratey covers are: stress, depression, ADD, and aging. This book is a great motivator for exercise.
However, Ratey's work was preceded by Glenn Doman's. Doman advocated exercise for brain injured children in the 1950s when the only 'treatment' was to institutionalize them. He later started a `super babies' program. Both the educational and medical establishments attacked and marginalized Doman's work.
The brain-exercise connection finally explained !! January 9, 2008
57 out of 62 found this review helpful
Having ready 2 previous books by John : The users guide to brain and Driven
by distraction i was looking forward to reading SPARK. I was especially
interested in learning how John was going to tie exercise with the brain
functioning since i am a strong supporter of exercise and have experienced
its benefits. I knew before reading SPARK that exercise in some way does
make you feel better. But SPARK puts it in perspective from a scientific
point of view. The chapters on Stress and depression particularly caught my
attention since most of us struggle with these 2 issues at some point in
life and again most of us turn to popping a pill to deal with it. If its as
simple as getting on a treadmill or a bike and working out for 30-45
minutes without any side effects, then it seems only logical to do it. The
BDNF (Miracle-gro as John calls it) was a very interesting read for me. I
did had to go back and re-read certain topics as was it too much medical
terms to comprehend in one read. But once i got it, it became permanent and
that's the beauty of this book.
Its simple yet powerful in its message. The simplicity comes from the fact
that "you goto workout ". The power comes from the facts / data that proves
"why you goto workout". Once the reader ties the two together, the message
is very clear and hopefully will remain for a lifetime with the reader.
Today if you look around there is a lot of awareness among people about the
ill-effects of obesity. There are TV programs, advertisements, books about
why exercising is good for you and how it will help you be more fit. But
this is the only books that tells you that exercise will also make your
brain fit along with your body. The brain-body connection is important and
one cannot be ignored over the other.
Eye Opening January 21, 2008
43 out of 51 found this review helpful
Our doctors always say to get more exercise. We always yawn and say of course; we've heard it all before. And then we are mediocre in our follow up. After reading Spark my entire viewpoint has changed. Exercise is a master key to brain functioning. Cholesterol and other system problems caused by lack of exercise are a bit ambiguous since we often can't directly feel them until we manifest some disease. Brain functioning is something else entirely. We can feel an almost immediate change after aerobic exercise. After reading Spark I definitely have become a six day a week exerciser. I need my brain functioning as well as possible, and the data in this book has made a believer out out of me.
SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain January 25, 2008
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
Finally, a solution to the culture-wide epidemic of stress and learning problems that is 100% healthy, involves no medication and is completely free and accessible to everyone.
So many of us, whether parent or professional, look with alarm at the current state of our nation's youth in regard to rising obesity, decreased emphasis on outdoor play, and over-use of "screen time" on computers, video games and television. As a clinician who has worked with children for 35 years, I am concerned about the marked increased in the frequency of learning problems, attention deficits, anxiety, depression, lagging social thinking skills, and explosive behaviors.
Dr. Ratey provides a sound explanation of how unhealthy diet and
lack of movement impairs memory and learning. He goes on to
show how exercise improves attention, motivation, mood, and memory while decreasing anxiety, impulsivity and distractibility. Dr. Ratey gives us hope for a future with less dependence on medicating our children and more emphasis on supporting today's youth with the "food" they need to grow into healthier, more balanced young adults. SPARK is a must read for all!
Barbara Baum Freethy, M.Ed.
Touchstone Psychotherapy Assc.
Portland, Maine
 Nothing New or Revolutionary May 20, 2008
14 out of 26 found this review helpful
There is nothing either new or revolutionary about the basic wisdom of this book -- "Exercise benefits the brain". Reading those few words, saves you from reading the book because not much more is said. While the author presents interesting antidotal evidence, hard research based evidence is missing that would 1) prove the author's assertion and 2) define the extent of the specific "benefits" one receives and 3) even determine how much exercise is "exercise." While this would have made an interesting article in a Sunday Newspaper Magazine, there is not enough substance here to justify a book.
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