Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain [Paperback]

Did you know you can beat stress, lift your mood, fight memory loss, sharpen your intellect, and function better than ever simply by elevating your heart rate and breaking a sweat? The evidence is incontrovertible: aerobic exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance.

In SPARK, John Ratey, MD embarks upon a fascinating journey through the mind-body connection, illustrating that exercise is truly our best defense against everything from depression to ADD to addiction to menopause to Alzheimer's. Filled with amazing case studies (such as the revolutionary fitness program in Naperville, Illinois, that has put the local school district of 19,000 kids first in the world of science test scores), SPARK is the first book to explore comprehensively the connection between exercise and the brain. It will change forever the way you think about your morning run.John Ratey, M.D. is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is the author of numerous bestselling and groundbreaking books, includingDriven to DistractionandA User's Guide to the Brain. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he has a private practice. Eric Hagerman is a former editor ofPopular ScienceandOutside. His work has been featured inThe Best American Sports Writing 2004,Men's Journal,andPLAY. This is my self-help book for the season. Houston Chronicle
At last a book that explains to me why I feel so much better if I run in the morning! Dr. Susan M. Love, author ofDr. Susan Love's Menopause and Hormone BookandDr. Susan Love's Breast Book SPARK is just what we need. In mental health, exercise is a growth stock and Ratey is our best broker. Ken Duckworth, M.D., Medical Director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness This book is a real turning point that explains something I've been trying to figure out for years. Exercise is nl1