Brain Gains

PE Jumps First Legislative Hurdle- with a small bruise

Thursday morning, February 19, the physical education bill (HF 439) passed the House K-12 Education Policy committee! The bill now heads to the House K-12 Education Finance committee. We are still waiting for our Senate hearing to be scheduled.

Deskercise: Staying Jazzed And Focused At School

Students at Mitchell Elementary School in Charleston, S.C., don't just write their multiplication tables. They jump them.

 

An ADHD Med Without Side Effects
"Think of exercise as medication," says John Ratey, M.D., an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "For a very small handful of people with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD ADD), it may actually be a replacement for stimulants, but, for most, it's complementary — something they should absolutely do, along with taking meds, to help increase attention and improve mood."
Exercise Seen as Priming Pump for Students' Academic Strides
Seven or eight years ago, studies offered mixed results on the question of whether exercise can boost brain function in children and adolescents. Experts are beginning to contend, however, that the case is getting stronger.
"There's sort of no question about it now," said Dr. John J. Ratey, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "The exercise itself doesn't make you smarter, but it puts the brain of the learners in the optimal position for them to learn."
US NEWS June 2008 How to Make Your Workout Quick and Sweaty
To get the most from limited exercise time, plan ahead and vary your routine
Exercise Helps Brain?


NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- Many of us suffer from mid-day brain fog, but did you know exercise can help with human focus and improving the structure in the brain? Harvard researchers say a Chicago-area school is proving it works. The freshmen in Naperville Central's pre-algebra class solve math problems using the calculators and pencils you would expect, but they also play video games in class with the teacher's OK.
 

SPARK is a groundbreaking exploration of the connection between exercise and the brain’s performance that shows how even moderate exercise will supercharge mental circuits to beat stress, sharpen thinking, enhance memory, and much more.

SPARK will change forever the way you think about your morning run---or, for that matter, simply the way you think.
 
Where is John?

June 12   2009

Harvard Continuing Education       

EXERCISE AND THE BRAIN

John J. Ratey, MD ″ August 10-14, 2009
This course is designed so that participants will be able to:

  • Instruct their patients on the brain changes resulting from routines of physical aerobic exercise that will help manage mood
  • Instruct parents and children as to the many ways aerobic exercise makes the learner better prepared to learn by changing the attention, motivational, and impulsive control level as well as the many alterations that make the neurons ready to learn at the cellular level;
  • Prescribe aerobic exercise regimens for patients to be maximizing their emotional health and cognitive function as they age.

 
For a complete course description, including the
daily curriculum, please visit:
www.cme.hms.harvard.edu/ courses/depressionanxiety

 

June 18   2009                       

Summer Health and Physical Education Conference
                   Sponsored by Boyertown Area School District
Our mission as a school district is “to enable all students to succeed in a changing world.” We     desire to provide the best possible education for the students of the Boyertown Area and we consider it a privilege that we can impact the lives of so many student.

2009..Continue the momentum at the Summer Health and Physical Education Conference. Keynote speaker : John J Ratey MD, author of Spark – The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, will revive our vision with the most current research in body brain science, and how as educators we can provide the best environment for excellent performance and knowledge to acculturate  lifelong fitness habits.  Let’s Spark the Revolution for ourselves, our students, and the community.

 

June 19   2009                            

Practical Approaches to the Treatment of Obesity               
Obesity Medicine 
Emergence of a New Discipline

Harvard Medical School’s 23rd Annual International Conference                  
Practical Approaches to the Treatment of Obesity-

Keynote for the Department of Nutrition:  John J Ratey, MD
For over 20 years we have strived to provide health care professionals with cutting edge tools and knowledge needed to apply practical approaches to the clinical management of obesity. John J Ratey, MD, one of the country's foremost authorities, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School, will speak on the most critical topics related to obesity treatment and weight management.
        Dr Ratey’s contributions will ensure that participants will gain knowledge of: identification, evaluation and management of high risk patient populations, current and future pharmacological approaches, strategies for long term weight management effective counseling and behavior modification techniques, principles of energy homeostasis, role of complimentary and alternative medicine in obesity management, pediatric obesity

 June 21   2009               
                

Midwest Brain Learning Institute
Healthy Brains, Engaged Learners
      A Call for System Change

 John J. Ratey, MD,  Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, author of SPARK -The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain,  and The User's Guide to the Brain,  will present current research in the brain/ body connection and prepare attendees to face the new paradigms and systems changes needed to get human physiology  back on the evolutionary path and regain optimal mental and physical health.

July 13  2009              

   The Gurian Institute creates awareness and trains parents, teachers and members of youth-serving organizations about how boys and girls learn and grow differently
John J Ratey, MD  will address The Gurian Institute, on July 13, 2009 on: Spark The Revolution.
Dr. Ratey has been called to the Gurian Institute to challenge leaders of youth organizations, teachers and parents to understand human dynamics and the role of exercise to optimize mental and physical health.  Exercise is a key to cognition, mood, and optimal physiological functioning and as such,  opens the door to understanding human potential.  

July 15   2009 

SPARK THE REVOLUTION   

 Dr. Ratey will challenge Slippery Rock University with a new vision for the future of Physical Education.   Stop just producing Coaches and Gym teachers. Change your mission and curriculum to reflect the NEW PE. Focus on lifelong health and wellness for all students.


July 16   2009  
  
Chautauqua-State of the Mind, the chautauqua challenge                  -


On July 16,   2009,   John R Ratey  MD, author of Spark – The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, will challenge our thinking and our bodies. Optimal competence, creativity, thinking and health can only be achieved through exercise and its life giving benefits –benefits for the whole human being-body, soul and spirit.



EXERCISE AND THE BRAIN


John J. Ratey, MD ″ August 10-14, 2009
This course is designed so that participants will be able to:
″ instruct their patients on the brain changes resulting from
routines of physical aerobic exercise that will help manage
mood;
″ instruct parents and children as to the many ways aerobic
exercise makes the learner better prepared to learn by
changing the attention, motivational, and impulsive control
level as well as the many alterations that make the neurons
ready to learn at the cellular level;
″ prescribe aerobic exercise regimens for patients to be maxi-
mizing their emotional health and cognitive function as
they age.
 
For a complete course description, including the
daily curriculum, please visit:
www.cme.hms.harvard.edu/courses/depressionanxiety
 
Copyright © By John J Ratey. 2003-2007. All Rights Reserved.