By Heidi Cleary
Attendees of the 2014 NIRSA Annual Conference and Recreational Sports Exposition won’t want to miss the author of bestselling book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Dr.
John Ratey, who will be presenting at NIRSA 2014 on Thursday, April 24 from 8:00am-9:00am (see all ed sessions by date or by topic).
Dr. Ratey is regarded as a leading expert on the brain-fitness connection. His work in neuroscience and psychiatry, examining issues ranging from aggression to ADHD, led him to uncover the science behind exercise as a reliable and consistent treatment. A passionate, accessible synthesizer of research, Dr. Ratey will discuss why exercise is the best way to help with emotional regulation and the best intervention to optimize our abilities to learn, remember, and perform.
Dr. John Ratey, author of Spark, will present an educational session at NIRSA 2014.The rigors of higher learning can often lead students to sacrifice their own wellness in times of high stress, be it by depriving themselves of enough time to exercise or sleep. However, Dr. Ratey is adamant that, as counterintuitive as it may sometimes feel, taking breaks to exercise, even if just for a few minutes, will greatly pay off in the long run.
In this thought-provoking NIRSA ed session, supported by an unrestricted grant from Cybex, Dr. Ratey will embark upon a fascinating and entertaining journey through the mind-body connection, presenting research to support his belief that exercise is a proactive defense against conditions ranging from depression to ADHD, addiction to aggression, and beyond. He will focus on how exercise and physical activity can positively influence individuals’ mental health, including the abilities to manage and overcome depression and anxiety, to reduce stress, to help increase the ability to get adequate sleep, and even to help with knowledge retention.
He will discuss how brain changes, which are a result from routines of physical aerobic exercise, will help to manage mood and how aerobic exercise better prepares students to learn by changing the brain at the cellular level. Dr. Ratey will also describe how important exercise is to us from an evolutionary perspective, and he will show how exercise works by affecting the neurotransmitters that play a significant role in moderating our mood, anxiety, aggression, and ability to learn.
About Dr. John Ratey
As an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Ratey has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles and written eight books pertaining to neuropsychiatry. A highly sought-after speaker, Dr. Ratey has embarked on a worldwide mission to reengineer schools, corporations, and individual lifestyle practices by incorporating exercise to achieve peak performance and optimal mental health.
Dr. Ratey will discuss supporting the health and wellbeing of students in higher education by using methods of accountability to keep patients motivated to continue exercising. He will speak on specific aspects of wellness, ranging from sleep benefits to High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), as well as his two upcoming books, which proponents of physical activity and fitness will be thrilled to read.
This NIRSA educational session is supported by an unrestricted grant from Cybex.
