It has been well documented that physical activity enhances fitness and cognitive functioning.  A new study points out that we begin to lose some of  the benefits of exercise within a week of being inactive.  After 3 weeks of inactivity the brain benefits have faded even more.

These findings were presented at the 2012 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in New Orleans.

This supports the notion of a healthy mind and healthy body are i…

New from the National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play

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Play Everyday For A Healthy Brain!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011 – 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST

The brain NEEDS play! The human brain is an amazing and complex organ that allows each of us to think, feel, and act. The brain systems that regulate those activities are largely shaped by experience. Learn why play is essential for optimal early brain development and why …

Contributed by JC BoushhThe human brain is a miraculous organ, and over the last two decades we have learned more about the brain than we have in the entire history of the human race. Advancements in brain imaging have allowed researchers to discover a vital link between brain health and physical activity. The effects of physical activity increase the brain’s ability to learn and make vital neural connections throughout our lifespan and especial…

Two recent studies emphasize the importance of fitness for brain health.

In one of the studies, published earlier this month in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, 8,800 people who were 25 and older were followed for six and a half years. The study found that each hour of television they watched daily was associated with an 18 percent increase in deaths from heart disease and an 11 percent increase in mortality rates overal…

Great podcast on the ASCD Blog. The topic is Eric Jensen's new book, Teaching with Poverty in Mind: What Being Poor Does to Kids' Brains and What Schools Can Do About It.

I met Eric more than 20 years ago when I picked him up at the airport for a conference in which I was on the planning committee. He was the keynote speaker at the California's State Summer PE Conference. Listening to him talk about brain research is a rare treat …

The concept of integrating regular physical tune-ups into the school day is growing.

For some its simply, "common sense" built on centuries of thinking based on the close link between body and mind fitness.

For the "prove it" crowd, a growing body of research suggests that physical activity might pay intellectual dividends in the classroom. Books such as the popular "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and t…