Newsweek Findings -- Exercise Your Body, Exercise Your Mind!

I've had this theory for years that the reduction in physical education hours/funding was contributing to an increase in the attention deficit (and, consequently, the medicating) of school-aged kids. I'm not a doctor, but from a logic standpoint it made total sense to me. Kids need to burn off energy! "Hanging out" at recess does not do the job. P.E. is just as vital to learning as good textbooks. So I was very excited to discover that this week's Newsweek magazine has in-depth coverage of this "Exercise and the Brain" correlation. Everyone in education should read this (March 26, 2007) issue. According to the Harvard Medical School findings, the connection between exercise and the brain goes way beyond behavioral benefits; it is key in the physiological development of a child's brain. (The magazine also covers the benefits of exercise on an adult brain. If you need motivation to get regular exercise, this'll do it!) Obviously having a healthy brain isn't all about exercise. Newsweek sums it up nicely, stating, "Kids have to hit the library as well as the gym." Right on!