Scan barcode
mcwv's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent description of specific effects of various types of exercise on the brain. Details impacts on stress-related conditions, anxiety, depression, ADHD, addiction, women's hormonal health, and aging. Includes information to tailor an individually effective program, as well as references to studies. A little dense for the newcomer, but no prior brain science required.
rjkamaladasa's review against another edition
4.0
This book is more for the policy maker than for the fitness enthusiast. If you've already established an exercise regime, you might feel that the author could've done a bit more. For example, which types of exercises increase what type of neurotransmitters, or perhaps what type of training regiment would you want to focus on if you have a certain ailment? But if you're a teacher, parent, or an education policymaker this might be the book for you.
As with most brain-based non-fiction books in the market today, Spark goes through various empirical examples to drive the point in. How the Naperville school district managed to get the best results consecutively for years by incorporating an innovative physical-ed class before tough classes is hammered to death in several chapters. And the inquisitive reader is left with the question "well that's a nice correlation, but do you have a conclusive theory that has been tested and that can be used to analyze and treat my condition?" Maybe the science isn't there yet, maybe the author didn't do enough research, maybe it's impossible to formulate a general physiological theory of exercise that fits most humans? Whatever the reason, the book doesn't convey it clearly.
But if you can get past that expectation, this is actually a pretty nice read. What the book repeatedly says is that exercise is good for you. And not just exercise alone, but also exercise that incorporates the social aspect (like dancing or yoga) and also how to maintain the incentive for exercise by incorporating challenges like beating your own records etc.
The book touches on how exercise increases the human growth hormone (BDNF) and GABA- the natural calming agent of the brain.
It also contains anecdotal evidence that exercise can decrease depression without the use of anti-depressants and their notorious side-effects. The examples on how a parent made significant strides in a custody battle by starting to exercise regularly and how a man regained his enthusiasm for his relationships and life are uplifting real life personal examples that the author draws upon. They give enough fuel to make you want to go out and exercise right now than. But again, it's a guide for those who need convincing to stop sitting around and do some exercise, than an actual scientific reference that you can rely on to change the way you exercise.
As with most brain-based non-fiction books in the market today, Spark goes through various empirical examples to drive the point in. How the Naperville school district managed to get the best results consecutively for years by incorporating an innovative physical-ed class before tough classes is hammered to death in several chapters. And the inquisitive reader is left with the question "well that's a nice correlation, but do you have a conclusive theory that has been tested and that can be used to analyze and treat my condition?" Maybe the science isn't there yet, maybe the author didn't do enough research, maybe it's impossible to formulate a general physiological theory of exercise that fits most humans? Whatever the reason, the book doesn't convey it clearly.
But if you can get past that expectation, this is actually a pretty nice read. What the book repeatedly says is that exercise is good for you. And not just exercise alone, but also exercise that incorporates the social aspect (like dancing or yoga) and also how to maintain the incentive for exercise by incorporating challenges like beating your own records etc.
The book touches on how exercise increases the human growth hormone (BDNF) and GABA- the natural calming agent of the brain.
It also contains anecdotal evidence that exercise can decrease depression without the use of anti-depressants and their notorious side-effects. The examples on how a parent made significant strides in a custody battle by starting to exercise regularly and how a man regained his enthusiasm for his relationships and life are uplifting real life personal examples that the author draws upon. They give enough fuel to make you want to go out and exercise right now than. But again, it's a guide for those who need convincing to stop sitting around and do some exercise, than an actual scientific reference that you can rely on to change the way you exercise.
queenbethie's review against another edition
1.0
Let me save you time and money: if you exercise, your brain will benefit. That's it. That's all you need to know and you don't need to listen to the horrible narrator drone on with the poorly written book. I want my money and time back, and I rarely feel that way.
sonny_angel's review against another edition
3.0
Was alright. Nothing revolutionary, nothing that made me extremely excited to read the book. The beginning is quite engaging then it was just alright.
lilmousewarrior's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
The book balances scientific explanation, exercise advice, and personal stories fairly well. The sections on how exercise can benefit folks with ADHD, anxiety, and depression seemed to be backed fairly well by scientific studies, while the sections on changing hormones seems to be a bit iffy. My main complaint is that it sometimes got a bit repetitive, and the phrase "powerful impact" was used constantly when describing how exercise changed things. If brain health and fitness is something you read / research a lot then this book can feel like a bit of a "well duh" experience. Overall though, I died enjoy it and found some sections to be quite helpful.
jmfjump's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
outcolder's review against another edition
3.0
Listened to the audiobook, mostly while in the gym. I thought it might motivate me but I am glad to have finished so I can switch back to music. It's a bit repetitive, which might be good to remember some of these chemical names, like brain-derived neurotrophic factor, but kind of annoying when it's phrases like "powerful impact" which always makes me think of the Busta Rhymes verse on Tribe Called Quest's "Scenario." The first chapters, about exercise improving learning and helping against anxiety and depression were interesting but it just seemed to get sort of sadder as the book went on. The ADHD and Aging chapters were particularly rough and the chapter on pregnancy, menstrual cycles and women's health more generally also points out a lot of stuff that doesn't seem fair. At times, the science seemed a bit iffy, like "in his unpublished research" or "difficult to measure the exact benefit," mainly because Ratey is a real deal science guy so he would rather immediately slice open brains after exercise to get all the deets. If you get queasy listening to stories of rats being tortured in labs, you'll want to skip a lot of the science. On the other hand, Ratey knows how to sell his point, so after each equivocation about the science he's back to his "there is no doubt that exercise makes a..." wait for it... "powerful impact..." boom! from the cannon, no idea what Ratey said after that, I have to wait for the Busta Rhymes voice in my head to die down. And I mean, yeah, obviously, exercise is going to be good for the brain because you're going to feel like you are doing something good for yourself that you are in control of and you are going to see results eventually that you will be proud of. It seems there is considerable science that shows that exercise improves neuroplasticity and new brain cell growth, but don't drop your meds without checking with your shrinks.
To get the most benefit, you are supposed to do just tons of cardio, like most of the recommendations are a half hour a day at 70% of maximum heartrate 6 times a week plus twice a week weight training and every once in a while really sprint. I just don't see it. I go to the gym 3 times a week and am a wreck for hours afterwards. Maybe I could add a dance course or martial arts in there and get up to 4 times a week cardio but then I would have to give up other things. Also, it seems important to get your significant other(s) involved because the social stuff helps with the cortisol, keeps you motivated to actually do it, and exercising without the special someone means they're going to be like, "I never see you anymore, you're always in beastmode..." But no one said getting better was going to be easy.
To get the most benefit, you are supposed to do just tons of cardio, like most of the recommendations are a half hour a day at 70% of maximum heartrate 6 times a week plus twice a week weight training and every once in a while really sprint. I just don't see it. I go to the gym 3 times a week and am a wreck for hours afterwards. Maybe I could add a dance course or martial arts in there and get up to 4 times a week cardio but then I would have to give up other things. Also, it seems important to get your significant other(s) involved because the social stuff helps with the cortisol, keeps you motivated to actually do it, and exercising without the special someone means they're going to be like, "I never see you anymore, you're always in beastmode..." But no one said getting better was going to be easy.