» Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain

Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Great book
Comment: I really liked this book because it helped me to see the science between the brain and exercise. Just another great reason to keep up your heart rate. I enjoyed this book a lot and look forward to any further books by Mr. Ratey.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Making the Connection
Comment: I was so happy as I read this summary from ParentDigest, when I saw that this book would be explaining the value of exercise not only on our children's bodies, but on their minds. So good to see that someone agrees that physical activity raises children's ability to learn.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Deep But Interesting
Comment: This book was a bit on the challenging side to comprehend (for me), but I liked it. NOTE: I'm just personally not all that familiar on a daily basis with terms (and understanding) of hypothalamus, pituitary, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, etc. These terms and others were used frequently which stilted my ease-of-comprehension as I was reading. So be aware that this book may not be a "quick" read.

In the book's defense, I have to admit that I have probably become over-conditioned to today's standards of writing to the general population's 8th grade level.

I do plan to go back and read it again in the near future, because I recognize there are valuable points; i.e., strong reasons, to use as ammunition (good ammunition) to get one's self motivated to exercise. TIP: When I do go back to read it, I will go to the glossary first to review the definitions; I think that will help tremendously.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Disappointing and Irritating
Comment: Whatever your problem is, exercise will very likely solve it. Whatever your dream is -- living longer, more energy, better mood, and so on -- exercise will make it come true. There. Now you've read the book.

Well, you haven't quite read it... You will have missed hundreds of pages of dull and mostly irrelevant discussions of brain anatomy, neurotransmitters, and stress physiology. If you sometimes read about science, mood, stress, and so on, you've seen it all before.

I gave this book two stars instead of one. I considered one. If you are thinking about exercising more, it's probably a good idea. This book might inspire you to get off the sofa and head to the gym. It deserves a little credit for that.

The truth is, exercise might improve your mood, increase your intelligence, improve your educational success, cure your ADHD, or solve your addiction problem... Or, it might not. There's one way to find out, which is to try it. Exercise a lot, and stick with the program long enough to find out. Good luck with it.

Recent research does seem to indicate that exercise can improve or cure depression, in some cases, and maybe help solve other problems, too. Don't get too excited, though. Most of this research consists of small studies, rat studies, test tube studies and poorly controlled studies. The "revolution" in exercise research has not yet occurred.

The authors have never seen an exercise study they didn't like. They are enthusiasts and true believers. Drop a nickel in the slot -- what comes out? Big surprise! Exercise! Are there contrary studies? Do some people fail to benefit from exercise, and, if so, why? Are some methods more effective than exercise? Are some exercise studies so flawed that they should be disregarded? You'll never find out from reading this book.

Spark is a hodgepodge of anecdotes, case studies from the author's clinical experience, summaries of scientific studies, commentary from the author and useless physiology lessons that almost every reader will skim or skip. It has no literary coherence, no theoretical or scientific coherence.

Desperate to avoid obesity and diabetes, wishing to live longer, hoping to be more attractive, many people are exercising regularly. That's probably wise. Most people aren't exercising at all. It's probably better to exercise. That's about all you're going to learn from this book

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Scientific Proof to back up our anecdotal observations
Comment: I was looking for information to help children with Learning Disabilities. This book provides scientific and medical evidence of the benefits of exercise to reduce stress and improve learning abilities as well as to improve self-confidence and reduce anxiety. All information is easy to read and applicable to average people. Every school teacher, phys-ed teacher, parent and adult should read this book. John J. Ratey, MD is THE EXPERT in this field. Now, I will head over to the treadmill to fire up my brain...

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