Spark: by John J. Ratey MD

The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the

Brain

Help Beat Stress

Sharpen Thinking

Enhance Memory

Supercharge Mental Circuts

What is it?

Groundbreaking exploration of the connection between exercise and the brain’s performance

Proving that exercise improves our ability to learn and in fact makes us SMARTER!

Getting our heart rate up to 65% to 75% for 20 minutes increases brain power and attention.

What is it?

Incorporate daily exercise into your school day.

Evolving PE from the old to new.

Activity stations with jump ropes, arobic steps, running outside, treadmills, eliptical, use your imagination

A way to increase test scores and kids attention in school

Why do we need this intervention?

65% of our nations adults are obese (Spark)

30% of U.S. schoolchildren are overweight – six times more than 1980 and another 30% are on the cusp (Spark)

10% have type 2 Diabetes (Spark)

Students in grades 3-12 spend an average over six hours plugged in to some type of media each day. (www.edutopia.org 2009)

Take a look at P.E. classes now there is a lot of inactivity

Less than 3% of adults over the age of 24 stay in shape through playing team sports. (Phil Lawler)

97% of the Freshman in 01 and 02 were at a healthy weight according to their BMI in Naperville, IL.

Why do we need this intervention?

10,000 hours playing video games

200,000 emails and instant messages

20,000 hours of watching T.V.

500,000 commercials seen

At the very most 5,000 hours book reading

In there Lifetime…..

NO

They will do this before leaving for College!

Why do we need this intervention?

Naperville Central High School

52 million children from K – 12 who attend public and private

schools in the U.S. Just think if all of them had the benefit of Naperville-style physical

education, our next generation of adults would be healthier,

happier, and smarter.

What if…