Brain Research
There are hundreds of brain-based studies that measure the benefits that people experience when they exercise. People have always understood that exercise has many positive physical benefits that an individual will experience when they exercise. What the science and medical communities have found in the last several decades is that not only are there positive physical benefits from exercise, but positive benefits in the cognitive (learning and thinking), social (cooperation and communication), and behavioral (focus, coping, and mood) domains. Overall, exercise is the single best choice for someone trying to maintain or improve their body holistically. However, sometimes people over quantify what exercise is. There are three different levels of movement. The first level is basic movement, which is the alternative to not moving. The benefits of movement are not significant but are still better than the alternative--not moving/being sedentary. Next is physical activity, which is moving with the goal of accomplishing a task such as mowing the lawn, playing golf, playing tennis, etc., which may result in an elevated heart rate, but heart rate/fitness is not the priority. There are positive physical, social, and emotional benefits of engaging in physical activity, so physical activity is definitely a worthwhile experience. Last is exercise. Exercise is any activity in which the goal is to elevate the heart rate to 70% of an individual's maximum heart rate for twenty minutes or longer. Exercise at this intensity will cause major improvements to an individual physically, behaviorally, and socially, which is desirable to most people that exercise. However, what the researchers and the medical community are now realizing is that an individual that exercises for at least twenty minutes at 70% (of their max heart rate) or higher will experience major improvements to their (cognition) memory, thinking, problem-solving, reading comprehension and will decrease the chance of Dementia and Alzheimer's by 50%. At PVJH we believe in teaching our kids how to exercise, what to exercise, and why they should exercise. A solid understanding of exercise will benefit our students immensely and help them to lead a long and healthy lifestyle.