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Exercise and the Brain in Kids

The New York Times published a great article on the neurocognitive benefits of exercise on children. One recent study discovered that children who were fit had a significantly larger basal ganglia. Another study indicated that children who were more fit had a significantly larger hippocampus. Additional studies are cited regarding the benefits of aerobic exercise […]

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Part 4 – Exercise Participation: Asthma

Asthma is a common chronic disease is the pediatric population. Having this condition, does not indicate that children should avoid exercise or sports participation. Although exercise and emotions can trigger bronchospasm with mild inflammation. Statistics show that almost 90% of asthmatics and 40% of people with allergic rhinitis suffer from exercise induced bronchospasm (EIB). This […]

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Physical Activity and Brain Health

The American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine has published a review of the research on academic performance and physical activity levels. Studies have shown that physical activity increases arousal, self esteem and increased secretion of neurotrophins (help the development and function of neurons). In the case of sports participation, attention and mental performance have improved immediately […]

Fitness and Academic Acheivement

Leslie Cotrell, PhD, a researcher from West Virginia University will be presenting her research at the American Heart Association 2010 Conference on Health, Physical Activity and Metabolism. She studied the body mass index, fitness levels and standardized academic scores of 725 fifth graders and again when they reached seventh grade. The research indicated that students […]