Description
Book SynopsisThis book focuses on the benefits of exercise for prevention and treatment of chronic brain disorders. It is a guide for finding the right exercise routine for each individual. The goal is to show the reader why everyone needs to exercise, especially as we get older. The brain needs physical exercise both for normal health and for preventing and treating diseases common with aging.
How much exercise is needed? As we see throughout the book there is no one fits all rule with regard to the amount of exercise required. The key is to make exercise a part of one’s daily routine. The beneficial effect of exercise is transient, lasting days to weeks, so it must be a lifelong pursuit. Can we exercise too much? Anything done in excess can potentially be dangerous but with the common sense approach outlined in this book anyone, regardless of underlying health condition, can find some type of exercise that is safe and effective.
Table of ContentsChapter 1. Exercise is good medicine
Physicians and the “exercise pill”
Exercise for health in early America
Exercise and early neurology
Early ideas on physical education
Thomas Cureton and the science of physical education
Physical fitness and sports
Kenneth Cooper and aerobics
Physical inactivity and poor health
Physical fitness and longevity
Public Health implications of physical inactivity
Exercise, physical activity and physical fitness
Body weight and energy metabolism
Physical fitness, obesity and cardiovascular disease
Aerobic versus Anaerobic Exercise
Oxygen utilization and fitness
Exercise training for improving fitness
Before beginning exercise training
In Brief
References
Chapter 2. Physical activity and brain evolution
Hunter-Gatherer Societies
Energy consumption in primitive societies
The Hazda
The Aché
Physical activity in hunter-gatherers
The Thrifty Gene Hypothesis
Napoleon Chignon popularizes anthropology
Physical activity and the Thrifty Gene Hypothesis
The APOE gene and late onset chronic diseases
The Agricultural revolution
Hunter-gatherer versus agricultural lifestyle
The Old Order Amish
The Canadian Inuits
Hunter-gatherers didn’t have it so bad
The industrial revolution
Physical inactivity and chronic diseases
In Brief
References
Chapter 3. A healthy body for a sound mind
Chinese martial arts
Yoga and the melding of the mind and body
Sparta and physical fitness
Herodicus of Cnidos
Hippocrates of Cos
Athens and the Greek gymnasium
The Olympic Games
The Romans
Galen
The Middle Ages and the soul rules the body
The age of chivalry
The Renaissance
John Locke
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Thomas Jefferson
Early exercise equipment
In Brief
References
Chapter 4. Exercise and the developing brain
Link between upright posture and increasing brain size
Brain growth after birth
Cerebellar expansion
Human brain development
Neuroplasticity and Brain Development
Physical activity and brain development
Exercise versus rest during pregnancy
Exercise during pregnancy is beneficial to mother and child
Effect of maternal exercise on fetal brain development
Exercise in Infants
Exercise in preadolescent children
Physical fitness and academic performance
Exercise in adolescent children
Physical fitness and academic performance in adolescents
Physical education and academic performance
How does exercise influence brain development?
Exercise for treating abnormal brain development
In Brief
References
Chapter 5. Exercise, the Elixir for Learning
Physical education and learning
Basic mechanisms of learning
How exercise improves learning
Exercise and the Body-Brain Connection
Research studies of exercise on learning and memory
Sleep, exercise and learning
Exercise “High”
Green exercise
Serotonin, emotions and learning
Serotonin drugs and learning
In Brief
References
Chapter 6. Exercise and the Aging Brain
Energy consumption and the aging brain
Early life experiences and the aging brain
Genes and cognitive aging
Telomere length, physical activity and aging
White matter abnormalities with aging
Shrinkage of the brain with aging
Muscular strength and aging
Exercise for prevention of falls in older people
Exercise for improving cognition in older people
Combining Interventions to Prevent Cognitive Decline
In Brief
References
Chapter 7. Exercise For Stress, Anxiety and Depression
What exactly is stress
Neurobiology of stress
Exercise and stress management
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Exercise for treating PTSD
Anxiety
Exercise for treating anxiety
Depression
Animal models of depression
Exercise for preventing depression
Exercise for treating depression
In Brief
References
Chapter 8. Exercise and Chronic Pain
Perception of pain
Opioids and chronic pain
Central sensitization and chronic pain
Inflammation and chronic pain
Chronic pain and fear avoidance
Overview of exercise for chronic pain
Chronic low back pain
Current approach to treating chronic low back pain
Exercise for treating chronic low back pain
Chronic neck pain
Current approach to treating chronic neck pain
Exercise for treating chronic neck pain
Headaches
Exercise for tension-type headaches
Exercise for treating migraine headaches
Fibromyalgia
Tender points
Exercise for treating fibromyalgia
In Brief
References
Chapter 9. Exercise and Cerebrovascular Disease
Cerebral blood flow and exercise
Types of strokes
Exercise and stroke prevention
Exercise and rehabilitation after stroke
Illustrative case
How does the brain recover from a stroke
Delayed recovery
Factors that influence recovery after stroke
Goals for stroke rehabilitation
In Brief
References
Chapter 10. Exercise and Dementia
Alzheimer disease
Exercise and Alzheimer disease pathology
Exercise for prevention of Alzheimer disease
Exercise for treating Alzheimer disease
Vascular dementia
Exercise and vascular disease pathology
Exercise for preventing vascular dementia
Exercise for treating vascular dementia
Lewey body/Parkinson disease dementia
Exercise and Lewey bodies
Exercise for Prevention of Parkinson disease
Exercise for Treating Parkinson disease
Dementia due to tau protein aggregation
Exercise for preventing and treating tauopathies
In Brief
References
