Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain
MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5: This book summary was a good reminder of things that I’ve been learning in my own health journey.
Michelle’s Raw Notes from the Book Summary:
Exercise is good for your body AND brain.
Your brain is a malleable organ that gets stronger with use.
Exercise boosts the brain’s ability to create the connections you need to learn.
Exercise can alleviate stress.
Performing exercise can help control the effects of psychological stress.
Example: When you feel stress, jump rope.
“Depression isn’t just in your mind, it’s in your body, too. Exercise can help alleviate a dark mood.”
Depression is not just a psychological issue. Your body can affect your mood too.
There is a biological link between exercise and mood.
Exercise creates endorphins in the body which inspires a feeling of euphoria.
Exercise can help you stay focused.
Your ability to focus depends on your brain’s reward center.
People with ADHD feel less reward from the act of focusing. Exercise can help with this.
Exercise can help with addictive personalities by dulling addictive cravings.
Doing nothing causes the degeneration of both body and mind.
Lifting weights can help you ward off osteoporosis.
Running helps lower blood pressure.
Michelle’s Takeaway:
The action step I’ve pulled from this book summary is to incorporate more intentional exercise throughout the day. I already do a lot of walking and go to the gym 5x/week, but something I’ve been wanting to do is do slightly more intense “mini workouts” after eating and during my “pomodoro breaks” from my computer to shake off stress, improve blood sugar regulation, and work muscles. I think using a jump rope and kettle bell for this would be fun.
