The Brain and Brawn Connection – Lesson

Before you begin, click here and print your assignment sheet. Answer the questions on the worksheet as you complete this online activity.

Did you Know? Exercise makes you stronger and smarter. Using sophisticated tools and brain-scanning technologies researchers are finding that the mental effects of exercise are far more profound and complex than they once believed. For the first time, scientists have actually coaxed the human brain into growing new nerve cells- simply by putting subjects on a three-month aerobic workout regimen. Exercise benefits the brain in two major ways. It helps generate new brain cells, and it strengthens the connections between those cells. Moreover, the positive impacts of exercise on the brain come quickly, in under an hour. If you want your synapses firing more efficiently- exercise.

There is a Problem
It may surprise many college students to learn that…Obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and inactivity: are not just their father’s problems. New research indicates that 18-24 year olds are on the path toward chronic health diseases. As a matter of fact, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) contends that …The “O” word on campus is not Oprah or online; it is obesity.

What You Can Do
If you want to improve your brawn and your brain try a few of these suggestions:

Increase Your Fitness Awareness: To begin find out your Fitness Awareness by taking this free quiz from the Mayo Clinic. Enter your score on your worksheet.
Tally Your BMI: Your Body Mass Index (BMI) is a statistical measure of your weight scaled according to your height. BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems. If you want to find out your BMI click here and then enter this number on your student worksheet.
Take More Steps: While walking may not be the exercise of champions, it is one exercise you can do almost anywhere and anytime, and does not cost a dime. Walking will help you control your weight, improve your health and make you smarter too. While many walking advocates encourage you to walk some 10,000 steps a day, about 5 miles, you don’t need to go that distance to make remarkable gains.
Sign Up for a Free Pedometer: If you go to MyHeartNow site and take a simple 6 question quiz, Pfizer will send you a pedometer.

All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.
Friedrich Nietzsche