September - Kansas City Sports & Fitness Magazine

THE HEALTH & FITNESS REPORT
In the April issue of Kansas City Sports
& Fitness, we first quoted Dr. Hiromi
Shinya’s statement , “Ignorance Is Making
Us Sick.” In that article we discussed the
importance of doing research for ourselves
on issues pertaining to our health and
wellness.
We recognize our food choices are critical
pertaining to our health, but how do we view
exercise not only for ourselves but more
importantly our families and friends? In my
research I came across a statement from Dr.
John J. Ratey that doesn’t take a graduate
from the University of Kentucky or a rocket
scientist to understand - “Think of Exercise
as Medication.” He is an associate clinical
professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical
School, research synthesizer, speaker and
author, as well a clinical psychiatrist maintaining
a private practice in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. He has lectured and published
60 peer reviewed articles on the topics
of aggression, autism, ADHD and other
issues in neuropsychiatry. Dr. Ratey was the
recipient of the 2006 Excellence in Advocacy
award from the non-profit group PE4Life,
for his work to promote the adoption of regular,
aerobic-based physical education.
Dr Ratey has penned, “Spark: The
Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and
the Brain.” In Spark, Dr. Ratey guides the
reader to an understanding of neurobiology
and inspires the reader to reach for their
potential and embrace exercise is crucial
for the brain and body to operate at peak
performance.
The first two chapters provide ample
evidence of the far reaching power of regular
exercise in improving the learning and emotional
and physical well-being of students.
Dr. Ratey begins by describing the innovative
approach in the Naperville, Illinois
School District 203. Some members of the
CONCUSSION| FROM PAGE 27
the athletes mouth and help absorb the shock
and impact in the blows received during the
game. The mouth guard should fit snugly in
the athlete’s mouth and stay in place while
not obstructing their breathing or ability to
communicate.
Overseeing proper safety equipment,
teaching safety principles and being sure the
athletes have proper physical conditioning
go a long way in preventing life changing
injuries to young athletes.
Dr .Lynn McIntosh is a board certified
Chiropractor, licensed in Kansas and
Missouri. In addition to being licensed to
provide general chiropractic care, Dr.
McIntosh is a Certified Chiropractic Sports
Physician, working with athletes from multiple
disciplines on specific sports-related
problems.
28 SEPTEMBER 2010 KANSAS CITY SPORTS & FITNESS
Did you take your “Medication?”
freshman class take part in Zero Hour PE,
running each morning prior to classes. The
purpose of Zero Hour is to assess whether
working out before school “gives these kids
a boost in reading ability and in the rest of
their subjects.”
He notes that the hypothesis
that exercise enhances
school performance “is supported
by emerging research
showing that physical activity
sparks biological changes that
encourage brain cells to bind
to one another. For the brain
to learn, these connections
must be made; they reflect
the brain’s fundamental ability
to adapt to challenges. The
more neuroscientists discover
about this process, the clearer it becomes
exercise provides an unparalleled stimulus,
creating an environment in which the brain is
ready, willing, and able to learn. Aerobic
activity has a dramatic effect on adaptation,
regulating systems that might be out of balance
and optimizing those that are not-it’s an
indispensable too for anyone who wants to
reach his or her full potential.”
Throughout Spark Dr. Ratey outlines the
latest research findings about the brain to
explain why the PE program at Naperville
and other schools enhance learning and academic
performance. His book is not confined
to children and adolescents.
He also examines the positive impact of
physical activity in our adult lives, helping us
to manage such conditions as stress, anxiety
and depression. In conclusion, Dr. Ratey and
Jacob Sattelmair stated the growing evidence
that strenuous physical activity is not only
healthy for students, but improves their academic
performance.
Based on such research, they argue
schools in the United States need to stop
eliminating physical-education programs
under current political pressures to emphasize
academics. Modern physical education
should move away from its competitivesports
approach to one that employs a wide
ROYALS| FROM PAGE 19
should be knocking on the Major League
door sometime in 2011 and pushing the
defensively-challenged Butler into a fulltime
designated hitter role.
If Gordon can hit well enough and be
solid enough defensively to stick in left
field, the Royals could have a plethora of
first-round picks on the 2012 roster. With
Gordon, Moustakas, Butler and Hosmer in
the lineup, plus Greinke and Hochevar, the
first overall pick in 2006, in the rotation,
the Royals could have six first-round picks
contributing that year.
Beyond Moustakas and Hosmer, the
range of play involving strenuous physical
activity for every student.
Our brains love motion. Exercise boosts
brain power. Exercise improves cognition.
Statements made by Dr. John J. Medina, a
developmental molecular
biologist, focused on the
genes involved in human
brain development and the
genetics of psychiatric disorders.
He has spent most of
his professional life as a private
research consultant,
working primarily in the
biotechnology and pharmaceutical
industries on
research related to mental
health. Dr. Medina holds
joint affiliate faculty appointments
at the University of Washington
School of Medicine, in its Department of
Bioengineering, and at Seattle Pacific
University, where he is the director of the
Brain Center for Applied Learning Research.
He writes about how brains are wired.
Journal Newspaper did an article on
Medina’s newest book, Brain Rules: 12
Principles for Surviving and Thriving at
Work, Home, and School. It explains how
things like exercise, sleep and stress have a
huge impact on how our brains operate.
He explains Brain Rule #1:
Exercise boosts brainpower. He thinks
school uniforms should be gym clothes and
every office should have a treadmill.
Research has shown cognitive function can
improve anywhere from 50 to 100 percent if
people are on a crash course of aerobic exercise
five days a week. He uses an example of
a researcher at a medical school in Tokyo
that studied sedentary video game addicts
who “sit around and eat nachos all day long.
He exercises them aerobically and watches
their executive function scores go up by
50 to 80 percent...he then extracts the exercise
and watches their scores shrink back
to nothing.”
Feeling hypocrisy in his life, Dr. Medina
installed a treadmill in his own office. Not
Royals are counting on left-handed pitchers
Mike Montgomery, John Lamb and Danny
Duffy to be big league ready by no later
than 2012. Some scouts consider Wil
Myers to be a better hitter than either
Moustakas or Hosmer, but without as much
power. Whether he comes up as a catcher
or moves to the outfield is the big question,
but he has a big league bat.
Moore has stated 2012 is the year the
organization is pointing to, when the stars
of the farm system began bearing fruit in
the Major Leagues. It can’t come soon
enough for the fans, but 2010 will quickly
be forgotten as another 90-plus loss season.
only is he thinking more
clearly, but he’s lost more
than 40 pounds reading
his email while treading
along. The ultimate result
of improved brain function
is higher productivity
in the workplace, he
explained. “With executive
function comes the
ability to corral the attention
state. You focus more
because you are in
motion. We were built to
Art Still
Chiefs Hall-of-Famer
Contributing
Writer
move, and I would argue, built to be productive
while we are moving.”
A recent article in The New York Times
entitled “Vigorous Exercise Linked With
Better Grades,” mentioned college students
who want to boost their grades can start by
boosting their level of exercise. A report presented
at the American College of Sports
Medicine’s 57th annual meeting in Baltimore
finds college students who regularly engage
in vigorous exercise get better grades.
Did you take your “medication” this morning
before you went to school or work?
I have a confession to make. I didn’t use my
degree from University of Kentucky or my
rocket science major to share this information.
I cheated. I exercised before researching
and writing this. I did three sets of squats, leg
extensions, leg curls, standing calf raises and
drank about a gallon of alkaline water. Half
way through my research and writing, I took
more medication and did three sets of chest,
shoulders, back, biceps and triceps with a
little more water. If it can work for me, it can
work anyone. So, make sure you and your
families take their “medication” daily with
exercise.