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Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain |  | Author: John J. Ratey
Creator: Eric Hagerman
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
Buy New: $13.54
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You Save: $11.45 (46%)
New (46) Used (31) from $13.54
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Rating:  93 reviews
Sales Rank: 1897
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6 x 1.3
ISBN: 0316113506
Dewey Decimal Number: 612.76
EAN: 9780316113502
ASIN: 0316113506
Publication Date: January 10, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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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:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 93
 lessons from Spark being applied around the world August 25, 2010
Jennifer Goddard
Spark really shifted the way I think about exercise and sport. Recently there was a article from our local school on how the kids are participating in a running club on Tuesday Mornings and a "Brains, Body, Confidence, program in the afternoon and immediately thought of the principles covered in Spark [....]
has anyone else seen it applied in schools?
Facinating Book! July 29, 2010
Sunshine (ID United States)
I love this book! It is very informative and interesting! Learning about all the effects that exercise has on the brain has really increased my motivation to exercise on a regular basis. If you're experiencing stress, fear, depression, anxiety, ADHD, addictions, or other mental issues, start exercising and see if it helps you! In addition to this book I would also recommend the following books: "Ready, Set, Go! Synergy Fitness" by Phil Campbell and "Pace: The 12-Minute Fitness Revolution" by Al Sears M.D.
Eye opening indeed July 20, 2010
Kieran Fox (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
I bought this book for my dad for Christmas a couple years ago, to encourage his New Year's resolutions regarding exercising more. But after the unwrapping I picked it up myself and was hooked.
I have always felt intuitively that the main thesis of this book is true, and lived by it, but I never had any real evidence for that belief and never thought of looking into it myself. It just seemed self-evident that exercise was a necessary and profitable thing to be doing, even as friends during exam-time would ask how I could possibly waste an hour at the gym with finals the next morning.
Well, the evidence is in (and has been for some time, it seems) and Ratey does a very admirable job of collecting much of it in one place, and explaining it all in way simple enough for absolutely anyone to understand. Yes, he oversimplifies greatly (brain-derived neurotrophic factor becomes 'Miracle-Gro for your brain'), but then that's the idea, to get this message out and increase people's awareness of just how beneficial exercise is for the brain/mind.
This message is examined from almost every conceivable angle, again, all in a very easily-comprehensible way. As I studied neuroscience in undergrad, I was astounded that none of this revolutionary information was being taught. Whether you look at grades, motivation, depression scores, etc. on the behavioral level, or go down to the neural and genetic level in mice, looking at dendrites, BDNF, and so on, every measure suggests that exercise (cardiovascular mostly, but some evidence for strength training as well) has positive effects on mood, memory, motivation, intelligence (IQ) and so on and so forth. The list goes on. Not only are these ameliorative effects observed, but exercise seems to have protective/preventive effects as well with respect to degenerative neural diseases like Alzheimer's or relapses into conditions like depression. This is all ON TOP of the many and obvious benefits for the rest of your body's health and wellbeing! And actually looking at the amount of exercise used in many of the studies, it is a truly pittling amount of time to spend (on the order of a few hours a week, at most) for such wonderful benefits.
Furthermore, the book is entertaining and well-written, probably largely thanks to the efforts of the co-author. Ratey himself seems very earnest and to have only the best intentions at heart in getting these ideas out to a nation so wealthy it is creating new diseases of excess for itself (like obesity and Type II diabetes). He's done a great credit to his own mission, and all of us, by marshalling the extensive evidence for his claims in a very readable and well-referenced account.
Read this book, and then stick to an exercise routine! Your grey matter will thank you.
All the reasons exercise is good for you..besides weight loss July 5, 2010
Jessica Herschberg (Nashville, TN, USA)
I enjoyed this book. It's important that people understand the exercise is not just a tool for weight loss, but a critical component of a well-functioning brain and body.
If you want to enjoy optimal health, and that includes mental happiness, then you need to exercise. Not just to lose weight, but because so many aspects of our health, longevity, and happiness are tied to the biological responses to exercise and movement.
 Not informative at all June 23, 2010
C. Harper (Alabama, USA)
0 out of 13 found this review helpful
I thought this book was not very informative. Was not what I thought it would be.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 93
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