Brain Rules for Baby (John Medina) / quote 52 of 91
Exercise boosts executive function
This rise in pediatric obesity is painful to hear in the brain science community, especially because we know so much about the relationship between physical activity and mental acuity. Exercise—especially aerobic exercise—is fantastic for the brain, increasing executive function scores anywhere from 50 percent to 100 percent. This is true across the life span, from young children to members of the golden-parachute crowd. Strengthening exercises, though there are many other reasons to do them, do not give you these numbers. Parents who start their kids out on a vigorous exercise schedule are more likely to have children for whom exercise becomes a steady, even lifelong, habit—up to 1½ times more likely, depending upon the study. Fit kids score higher on executive function tests than sedentary controls, and those scores remain as long as the exercise does. The best results accrue, by the way, if you do the exercises with your children. Remember that deferred-imitation business? Encouraging an active lifestyle is one of the best gifts you can give your child.