Spark - by John J Ratey

About the Book

"Supercharge your mental circuits to beat stress, sharpen your thinking, lift your mood, boost your memory, and much more"--Cover.

Book Synopsis

A groundbreaking and fascinating investigation into the transformative effects of exercise on the brain, from the bestselling author and renowned psychiatrist John J. Ratey, MD.

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 J. Ratey, M.D., embarks upon a fascinating and entertaining journey through the mind-body connection, presenting startling research to prove that exercise is truly our best defense against everything from depression to ADD to addiction to aggression to menopause to Alzheimer's.

Filled with amazing case studies (such as the revolutionary fitness program in Naperville, Illinois, which has put this 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 -- -or, for that matter, simply the way you think.

Review Quotes

"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 of Dr. Susan Love's Menopause and Hormone Book and Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book

"Bravo! An extremely important book. What Cooper did decades ago for exercise and the heart, Ratey does in SPARK for exercise and the brain. An utterly convincing and brilliantly documented ground-breaking work...So, get moving! Your brain will thank you and repay you many times over."--Edward Hallowell, M.D., The Hallowell Centers

"I enthusiastically recommend this book...If your goal is to live a long and healthy life to the fullest then Spark should be required reading."--Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., "Father of Aerobics"

"Ratey has culled the latest science and found that a regular workout can help build a better, faster brain."--USA Today

"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

"SPARK is mercifully short on Ivy League med-school-speak. And it may just spell the end of all dumb-jock jokes."--Outside Magazine

"This book is a real turning point that explains something I've been trying to figure out for years. Exercise is not simply necessary, as Dr. Ratey clearly shows, it's medicine."--Greg LeMond, three-time winner of the Tour de France

"This is my self-help book for the season."--Houston Chronicle

About the Author

John Ratey, M.D., is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is the author of numerous bestselling and groundbreaking books, including Spark, Driven to Distraction, and A User's Guide to the Brain. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.