Brain and Exercise
Adam Weber
Did you know that exercise can help your brain stay healthy for the rest of your life?Research about the brain shows that regular exercise can help to make you more fit, happier, and have a healthier brain as you age. There is a group of kids at Princeton University who studied the benefits of exercise and good brain health. In your brain there is a growth of neurons when you are exercising. The brain can help your mental health if you exercise. Mental health means when you have emotions inside your brain like happiness. In the book "What goes on in my Head", the author explains that doing physical activities builds neuron pathways in the brain. Exercise makes your brain release chemicals that makes us feel good. Activities that we do as teenagers like walking, playing sports, or bike riding keep those pathways open. If teens don't exercise, they might lose the unused pathways.
In "Brain," the author mentions that the cerebellum is the part of the brain that helps us use all the parts of your body. It helps people do complicated and skilled movements, like riding a bike or tying your shoe laces without thinking about it. It sends out messages and instructions to muscles that are mostly in the head, neck, and trunk. The muscles help the body move in a balanced way. The cerebellum is located in the back lower part of the brain, under the cerebrum.
In the WebMD article, "Your Kid's Brain on Exercise", the author mentions four main benefits for teens when they exercise for an hour a day. First, teens score higher on math and reading tests. Secondly, they found that athletes are more confident. Also, physical activities release brain chemicals that fights stress, and help kids be in better moods. And finally, kids who get regular exercise get better sleep. A good night sleep improves judgement, boosts your memory, and lists your moods. This topic is interesting to me because it talks about how your body is feeling after you exercise and my parents want me to exercise.
5 To Know Before You Go
- Wearing a helmet when you ride a bike or play contact sports like hockey and football are an important part of protecting your brain.
- Wearing a seat belt when you're driving to or from a sporting activity is crucial.
- The teenage body can seem hard to control at times, with legs and arms growing so fast that the cerebellum has to relearn how to coordinate them, making the body clumsy.
- Kids ages 6-18 should get an hour of exercise a day. They can split up the activity over the course of the day. The minutes add up.
Bibliography
Carter, Rita. The Human Brain Book. London: Doring Kindersley, 2009. Print.
Griffin, R. Morgan. "Your Kid's Brain on Exercise." WebMD. WebMD, 8 May 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2015. <http://webmd.com/parenting/raising-fit-kids/move/kid-brain-exercise?>.
"Your Kid's Brain on Exercise." http/webmd.com/parenting/raising-fit-kids/move/kid-brain-exercise?print=true. 2013 WebMD, LLC, 8 May 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
Morgan, Ben, ed. What Goes On in my Head? New York: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2010. Print.
Parker, Steve. Brain. Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2009. Print.