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Book | Searching... Cabell County Public Library | 612.044 HEI | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
A noted neuroscientist reveals groundbreaking research on how fitness and exercise can combat mental health conditions such as anxiety, dementia, ADHD, and depression, and offers a plan for improving focus, creativity, and sleep.
Jennifer Heisz shares paradigm-shifting research on how exercise affects the brain, finding that intervals of intense workouts, or even leisurely walks, help stop depression and dementia, lessen anxiety and ADHD, and encourage better sleep, creativity, and resilience. Physical inactivity is the greatest risk factor contributing to dementia and anxiety--it's as much a factor as genetics. In addition, exercise's anti-inflammatory properties make it the most effective treatment strategy for those who are depressed and don't respond to anti-depressants. The book focuses on overcoming inertia; using exercise to help fight addictions; how we can improve our memory with fitness even as we age; and, importantly, how exercise can help us sleep better, improve focus, and be more creative. Included are easy to use plans for unique aerobic and resistance workouts designed to strengthen the brain.
Author Notes
DR. JENNIFER HEISZ is Director of the NeuroFit Lab at McMaster University (one of the top kinesiology departments in the world) and a leading expert in the neuroscience of exercise. Her research has received widespread international media attention from CNN, NBC, BBC, Huffington Post and CBS, including a feature by the New York Times.
Reviews (1)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Heisz, professor of kinesiology at McMaster University, debuts with an informative if shaky "self-help guide on the neuroscience of exercise." She makes the case that exercise can help individuals overcome addiction, reduce the probability of experiencing dementia, improve sleep patterns, enhance creativity, and beat depression (especially in cases when antidepressants don't work). In each section, Heisz provides basic information about neuroscience to explain how exercise can improve a given issue, and offers movement programs designed as a "neuro fix": for improving sleep quality, for example, an afternoon walk outside can help "reset brain time" and sync one's circadian rhythm; cross-training, on the other hand, is great for enhanced focus and creativity. Heisz's findings are often fascinating--she notes that inactivity leads to high blood pressure and puts one "at risk of small vessel disease," which, in turn, can cause the brain's white matter to starve, leading to dementia--but her cloying prose becomes tiresome quickly ("What's the exercise prescription for resiliency? It's easy. Hooray!"), and the "case study characters" she creates end up distracting rather than clarifying. The idea has potential, but the execution is lacking. Agent: Chris Bucci, Aevitas Creative Management. (Mar.)
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Healing Power of Exercise | p. xi |
1 The Reasons It's Hard to Exercise | p. 1 |
2 Move Away from Anxiety and Pain | p. 19 |
3 Mental Health Is Physical Health | p. 41 |
4 Free Yourself from Addiction | p. 67 |
5 Keep Your Brain Young | p. 89 |
6 Move More to Sleep, Think, and Feel Better | p. 117 |
7 Staying Focused, Being Creative, and Sticking to It | p. 139 |
Acknowledgments | p. 165 |
Appendix: Exercises | p. 167 |
References | p. 201 |
Index | p. 229 |