Runner's Corner

Boost Your Brain with Running

January Runner’s Corner  by Kitty A Consolo, Ph.D.

        Welcome to the New Year 2010!.  As you head out for your run, you are probably aware of the many health benefits running provides, it lowers your risk of heart disease, cancer, depression, anxiety and diabetes to name a few.  Did you know that running can also boost your brain power?  Research has now documented tremendous positive effects of running and other aerobic exercise on the brain in a book called, Spark, written by John Ratey, MD, a clinical psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School with Eric Hagerman.  I highly recommend you read the book.  Below is a summary of the some of the brain boost research findings.

Brain Boost Programs and Benefits

        Imagine a program where students are not only fit and healthy but have high academic test scores!   Such a program exists at Naperville, IL where a learning readiness PE class has students exercise aerobically before school.  Fitness is emphasized instead of sports skills with lots of running.  Naperville’s 8th graders took the TIMSS (Trends in International Math and Science Test) where students from Japan and China have outscored US kids and ended up scoring 6^th in math and first in the world in science!  They also set up another exercise program before school called Zero Hour PE and found a 17% improvement in reading and comprehension at the end of the semester compared to a 10% improvement for those who did not exercise.

        Research from the California Department of Education has consistently shown that students with higher fitness scores have higher test scores.  Fitter kids scored consistently better than unfit kids even in low socio-economic school districts.  The panel has recommended that school children participate in one hour or more of vigorous physical activity such as running per day.  Unfortunately, most states including Ohio, do not have those standards and instead often recommend decreasing physical education and increasing math and science without understanding how physical exercise such as running improves brain function and its ability to learn and achieve academically.

        Another successful brain fitness program was adopted in Titusville, PA, a school district with a median income of $25,000 and 16% of the town living below the poverty line.  Titusville copied what Naperville has done adding fitness centers in secondary schools and as a result, their test scores rose from below the state average to 17% above it in reading and 18% above it in math.  There were tremendous psycho-social benefits as well—there has only been 1 fist fight since 2000 among 550 junior high kids!  At Woodland elementary school in Kansas City, physical activity was increased from once to forty-five minutes a day of mostly cardiovascular exercise.  The results were not only smarter fit kids, but discipline problems were reduced by 67%!

How Exercise changes the Brain

        Without getting too detailed on the physiology of brain function, running and other forms of aerobic exercise help the brain by producing proteins and neurotransmitters where they play pivotal roles in our thought processes.  Exercise helps the brain’s infrastructure and communication and stimulates brain growth.  Exercise is a great defence not only against heart disease and cancer but mood disorders such as depression, anxiety and even Alzheimer’s.

Spread the word

        After reading these statistics please consider spreading the word about the academic benefits of cardiovascular exercise like running especially to those who set up our school day.   Wouldn’t it be great to have our school children running and exercising more, not only lowering their risks of disease but also boosting their test scores which seems to be the primary focus of a educational standards these days.   Setting up such programs in schools does not cost a lot and many schools already have the equipment just no the time allotment. 

        Hope to see you out on the roads with a spark to your step.  Check out premierraces.com running calendar and start planning for your races in 2010.  Happy New Year!

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