Brain Fitness and Exercise: How It Affects Learning
The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain while attending a three-day special education workshop. It was suggested to me because it provides indisputable proof that exercise can help all students, especially special education students improve in school. I recognised this was knowledge worth knowing and disseminating at a time when recess and physical education programmes are being curtailed for test preparation.
Learning Can Be Improved by Exercise
The book examines the relationship between exercise and the brain and offers compelling evidence that aerobic exercise physically remodels the brain for peak performance on all fronts.
Exercise specifically enhances learning on three levels
It optimises your mindset to increase alertness, attention, and motivation; second, it gets nerve cells ready for and encourages them to bind to one another, which is the cellular basis for logging in new information; and third, it encourages the development of new nerve cells from stem cells in the hippocampus,” the study authors write.
In summary, exercise not only helps the brain prepare for learning but also improves memory.
The Benefits of Exercise on Students’ Mental Health
Exercise can be the best defence against many of the prevalent mental health problems that students deal with :
● Stress
Peer pressure, work overload, and stressful exams are just a few of the stresses that our kids deal with both in and outside of the classroom. Exercise reduces physical and mental symptoms of stress and affects cells on a cellular level. Physical activity can fend off the detrimental effects of chronic stress and even reverse them, making it a natural strategy to prevent their ill effects.
● Panic and anxiety disorders
There is no real threat, to the point where one can’t function normally, is an anxiety disorder. However, worrying when there is a threat is a normal reaction to that threat. The most severe type of anxiety is panic, and I’ve seen my kids experience panic attacks while taking examinations, participating in cooperative learning activities, and occasionally just because of the rigours of school in general. People learn to reduce anxiety and regain confidence through exercising.
● Depression
Exercise that includes an aerobic component has been shown to reduce depression symptoms. Additionally, exercise increases dopamine, which elevates mood and lengthens attention span. Students who experience melancholy moods can benefit greatly from thirty minutes of moderate exercise a few days per week.
● ADHD
Due to the requirement to sit still, face forward, and listen, school can be an extremely trying environment for students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). One of the finest treatments for ADHD, in Drs opinion, is structured activity, such as gymnastics, ballet, skateboarding, or martial arts.
Any teacher or parent curious about the connection between physical activity and the brain should definitely check out Spark. The key to maintaining both physical and mental health is to start slowly, seek out social support, vary your activities, and stick to a schedule.