It’s True. Exercise and Sport Stacking helps Children learn. We all know that Exercise makes us feel better, but most of us have no idea why. We assume it’s because we’re burning off stress or reducing muscle tension or boosting endorphins, and we leave it at that. In the view of Dr John Ratey, Clinical Associate professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and author of SPARK, The revolutionary new science of exercise and the Brain, the real reason we feel so good when we get our blood pumping is that it makes the brain function at it’s best, and this benefit of physical activity is far more important and fascinating than what it does for the body. Building muscles and conditioning the heart and lungs are essentially side effects. Dr Ratey often tells his patients that the point of exercise is to build and condition the brain. So, what the best exercise to get the brain to function at it’s best? Dr Ratey suggests choosing a sport that simultaneously taxes the cardiovascular system and the brain – Tennis is a good example – or do a 10 minute aerobic warm up before something non aerobic and skill based, such as rock climbing or Sport Stacking. While aerobic exercise elevates neurotransmitters, creates new blood vessels that pipe in growth factors, and spawns new cells, complex activities put all that material to use by strengthening and expanding networks. The more complex the movements the more complex the synaptic connections. And even though these circuits are created through movement, they can be recruited by other areas and used for thinking. This is why learning to play the Piano makes it easier for kids to learn math. The prefrontal cortex will co-opt the mental power of the physical skills and apply it to other situations Sport Stacking fulfills these criteria and is an excellent sport which is skill and activity based. Other benefits are everyone can play the sport, it improves eye hand coordination, improves ambidexterity and teaches patterning and sequencing. Patterning and sequencing are the fundamentals basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. The proof is in research studies as well as many Occupational Therapists in South Africa who have shown that their patients have improved dramatically after stacking regularly for a few weeks. At this time of the year when most children start writing exams, they make the mistake of stopping all sport. This is the worst thing to do. Research has shown that the brain functions the best immediately after exercise. These students should go for a 20 min run and stack for 15mins in order to get the brain functioning at its optimum performance. We should therefore be encouraging our children and adults not to reach for the remote, but to reach for the tackies and go for a run. Run for 20 mins and stacks for 20mins. This is the best form of medication for stress and anxiety and will get your brain working at maximum performance. Gavin Penkin
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