Scan barcode
A review by outcolder
Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey
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 At times, the science seemed a bit iffy, like "in his unpublished research" or "difficult to measure the exact benefit," mainly because Ratey is a real deal science guy so he would rather immediately slice open brains after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.