EAST ON THE MOVE – PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BUILDS THE BRAIN
1st March 2017, Michael Ledzion, Chief Sportivater at Sports for Schools
Scans tell us brains get active when we exercise
Exercise makes brain cells grow… which helps academic performance
70
66
60
Reading
60
54
Maths
50
50
44
41
40
30
28
26
31 32
36
34
20
Academic
test score
(percentile)
10
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Physical fitness score
Source: Prof. John J Ratey, California Dept of Education 2001. Year 9 students (almost identical results for years 5 and 7)
Physical fitness score based on the 6 “FitnessGram” tests: areobic capcaity, % body fat, abdominal strength &
endurance, trunk strength and flexibility, upper body strength, and overall flexibility
SPORTS FOR SCHOOLS
1200+ fitness circuits & inspirational talks each year
Jo Jackson, Olympic Bronze
medal swimmer
Fitness
circuit
320,000 primary school kids:
creating memories that last a
lifetime
GB/Olympic
athletes
1,200+
events/year
PHE bodies have also invited athletes to all their schools to inspire kids
Events are sponsored: There’s no cost to the school
Clubs for Schools – FREE “zero-admin clubs” website for schools
SCHOOLS
Zero-Admin
Removes barriers:
more clubs
PARENTS
Easy online bookings
& pay less
COACHES
Better qualified &
earn more
GET ACTIVE – Pilot program
James Kirton, 2008 Olympian
Workshop 1: teachers
meet your brain
Workshop 2: parents
• The science…
• For use by this school…
• To get ready…
• Explain to parents
• Special event (Athlete)
• Local clubs
Stage 3: school
• Explain to pupils
• Support teachers
• Change
Pre-frontal cortex
Strategy, CEO, Thinking
Hyppocampus
In the lymbic area
Automation / instinct
Cerebellum
Coordination: movement,
thought, and pretty much
everything
• 100bn brain cells
• 1000s of connections at
each cell
• 1,000 trillion+ connections
What is a
memory?
MEMORY
STRENGTH
=
Frequency
x
Intensityn
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)
Brain fertiliser
minutes
Bigger brain
Faster brain
Better brain
Brain-Derived
Neurotrophic
Factor (BDNF)
Physical activity
Standard brain
New neuron
If you did not run
you did not eat
2007 study in Germany
Learn new vocab
TEST BEFORE
Learn new vocab
TEST AFTER
20 MINS
20% FASTER
Also… rates of learning correlate with levels of BDNF
University of Muenster
20% is important… it accumulates!
20% faster
(+ 20%)
2x bigger
Measure
(eg learning)
Linear
(+ 0.2)
0
10
time
It’s real: fitness and cognitive processing speed
Predictors of academic results
BMI and aerobic fitness are
better predictors of academic
results than familial relationships
(ie parenting)
Souce: Study of 1.2m Swedish men aged 15 & again at 18
Knowledge tester: How has SUGAR consumption changed since 1992?
Down 15%
Down 42%
.
Knowledge tester: How as FAT consumption changed since 1974?
Knowledge tester: How as ENERGY consumption changed since 1974?
Down 21%
Knowledge tester: How as BODY WEIGHT changed since 1993?
UP 8%, from
73kg to 78kg
F. Changing perceptions of what is “overweight”
In clinically obese 7-year old children…
• 1/3 of their mothers &
• over half of their fathers
• saw their child's weight as "about right"
Earlybird Study, Plymouth. BMJ 2004
Teachers report improved academic outcomes from switching curriculum time to PE/sport
Impact on academic outcome
60
50
40
30
Impact on academic
outcome
20
10
0
Improves
outcome
No effect
Negative effect
Data based on 14 US studies by centre for US decease control
Maximum heart rate = 220 – your age
FAT or FIT?
Being overweight has little to do
with being fit
Measure heart rate to find out how
much effort someone is expending
Moderate activity
feel warmer, higher heart rate and breathe faster
Vigorous activity
30 years old, 1.85m & 110kg
BMI = 32.1
OBESE
short of breath, rapid heart rate, can’t carry on a
conversation
Just 2 things our pilot school did within 1 WEEK of Workshop 1:
ACTIVE
registers
Changed end of day timings:
• Brought forward from
3.15pm to 3pm…
• …added 15 minutes
• 30 minutes DAILY vigorous
physical activity
SPORTS & PE BUILD THE BRAIN
so that
TEACHERS CAN FILL THE BRAIN
BACKUP SLIDES
The amount of PE in schools is remaining roughly static at 2hrs week
HMI says the No. 1 area for improvement is:
“RAISE EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT PUPILS CAN ACHIEVE”(1)
(1) Source: HMI report. “Improving Physical Education in Primary Schools”
Interval training…
• Shorter workout
• Short bursts of ultra high effort
(95% max heart rate)
Builds the brain even faster
• University of Bath
— Adding a single 30 second burst in a
35min moderate training bike
exercise increased Human Growth
Hormone (HGH)(1) levels x6 (peaking
2hrs afterwards)
• Used by athletes to build stamina
• Burns more calories
• University of Muenster Germany
— 2x 3min bursts in 40min treadmill
run
— BDNF up
— 20% faster vocab learning vs
standard treadmill run
(1) HGH: “master growth hormone”, promotes BDNF (and much much more)
What do you know about your pupils – physically?
• Body Mass Index (BMI)
• Fitness score
• Hours of exercise per week
— Moderate
— Vigorous
• Heart rates
• Enjoyment
Even more important… what do your pupils know?
• Evidence shows individuals change their own behaviour
when
— they understand the reasons / science
— they get satisfaction / enjoyment (dopamine – rewards part of the
brain)
— they are measuring it
• So… measurement is key
— Personal bests
— Let the pupils do it… much more likely to be successful if they get
engaged in the subject, and much more energy will be released as a
result. You don’t want to be haranging them or the parents … let
them take the lead!
Event the House of Commons is looking at this…
“The UK faces an epidemic of physical inactivity. Over
the last half century we have simply stopped moving—
in our schools, our work places, our towns, cities—and
how we get between them. In all human history, we
have never been so inactive. But the human body was
designed to move, and this slow down in activity has
seen significant consequences to our health and
economy.”
Tackling Physical Inactivity— A Coordinated Approach, ALL-PARTY COMMISSION ON PHYSICAL
ACTIVITY, April 2014
References and resources
•
YouTube videos:
—
•
John Ratey
—
—
—
—
—
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evcNPfZlrZs
TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBSVZdTQmDs&t=234s
Spark! summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqceJv4iNv4
Go-Wild: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO6TMYTWQVA
Interviewed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3Zj3-10VXY; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBHzes-NXcU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIHtWB4kX1w&t=698s
Physical activity statistics (BHF): https://www.bhf.org.uk/research/heart-statistics/heart-statistics-publications/childrenand-young-people-statistics-2013
Parliamentary report on inactivity:
https://parliamentarycommissiononphysicalactivity.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/apcopa-final.pdf
Start Active, Stay Active: Chief Medical Officers’ report:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/216370/dh_128210.pdf
Review of a whole variety of inactivity interventions:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/374560/Whatworksv1_2.pdf
Family food report: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/265243/familyfood2012report-12dec13.pdf
The fat lie: https://iea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Briefing_The%20Fat%20Lie.pdf
Primary School National Curriculum on PE:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/239040/PRIMARY_national_curriculum_
-_Physical_education.pdf
PHE, Link between pupil health and wellbeing and attainment:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/370686/HT_briefing_layoutvFINALvii.pd
f
Fitbit Research Library: https://www.fitabase.com/research-library/
UK Active Blueprint for an Active Britain: http://www.sportsthinktank.com/uploads/ukactive-blueprint-for-an-activebritain.pdf
Change4Life, Evidence review:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/440747/Change4Life_Evidence_review_
26062015.pdf
A. Inactivity kills more people in the UK than smoking
Cause of premature deaths in the UK
101,000 Inactivity
96,000 Smoking
55,000 Obesity
100% can be avoided through
2.5hrs of moderate – vigorous
exercise each week
B & C How much physical activity do kids do in the UK (in 2012)?
Not enough
79% Boys
84% Girls
Enough
21%
16%
Down from 28% and
19% over 5 years!
The World Health Organisation says
“Children aged 5-17 should do a MINIMUM of 1 hour’s
of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day”