The Brain on Exercise, January 9, 2008

This book explains in clear terms the role exercise plays in our mental processes. Moving our muscles produces proteins that play roles in our highest thought processes. Ratey says, “thinking is the internalization of movement.” He illustrates this with the story of the sea squirt that hatches with a rudimentary spinal cord and 300 brain cells. It has only hours to find a spot of coral on which to put down roots or die. When it does put down roots, it eats its brain. According to Ratey only a moving animal needs a brain.

He begins with the value exercise has for the learning process in high school students: improved academic performance, alertness, attention and motivation.

He cites studies that say we can alter our mental states by physically moving. He said depression is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. He then presents a chapter where depression is relieved in case studies by exercise.

Among the areas Ratey covers are: stress, depression, ADD, and aging. This book is a great motivator for exercise.

However, Ratey’s work was preceded by Glenn Doman’s. Doman advocated exercise for brain injured children in the 1950s when the only ‘treatment’ was to institutionalize them. He later started a `super babies’ program. Both the educational and medical establishments attacked and marginalized Doman’s work.

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Eye Opening, January 21, 2008

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Brunello (Honolulu) – See all my reviews

  

Our doctors always say to get more exercise. We always yawn and say of course; we’ve heard it all before. And then we are mediocre in our follow up. After reading Spark my entire viewpoint has changed. Exercise is a master key to brain functioning. Cholesterol and other system problems caused by lack of exercise are a bit ambiguous since we often can’t directly feel them until we manifest some disease. Brain functioning is something else entirely. We can feel an almost immediate change after aerobic exercise. After reading Spark I definitely have become a six day a week exerciser. I need my brain functioning as well as possible, and the data in this book has made a believer out out of me.

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The brain-exercise connection finally explained !!, January 9, 2008

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M. Bankal (NJ, USA) – See all my reviews

  

Having ready 2 previous books by John : The users guide to brain and Driven

by distraction i was looking forward to reading SPARK. I was especially

interested in learning how John was going to tie exercise with the brain

functioning since i am a strong supporter of exercise and have experienced

its benefits. I knew before reading SPARK that exercise in some way does

make you feel better. But SPARK puts it in perspective from a scientific

point of view. The chapters on Stress and depression particularly caught my

attention since most of us struggle with these 2 issues at some point in

life and again most of us turn to popping a pill to deal with it. If its as

simple as getting on a treadmill or a bike and working out for 30-45

minutes without any side effects, then it seems only logical to do it. The

BDNF (Miracle-gro as John calls it) was a very interesting read for me. I

did had to go back and re-read certain topics as was it too much medical

terms to comprehend in one read. But once i got it, it became permanent and

that’s the beauty of this book.

Its simple yet powerful in its message. The simplicity comes from the fact

that “you goto workout “. The power comes from the facts / data that proves

“why you goto workout”. Once the reader ties the two together, the message

is very clear and hopefully will remain for a lifetime with the reader.

Today if you look around there is a lot of awareness among people about the

ill-effects of obesity. There are TV programs, advertisements, books about

why exercising is good for you and how it will help you be more fit. But

this is the only books that tells you that exercise will also make your

brain fit along with your body. The brain-body connection is important and

one cannot be ignored over the other.

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I really like it, August 13, 2009

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K. S. Roman “Kim” (Glen Burnie, MD USA) – See all my reviews

  

I had abdominal surgery in late May (it’s now mid August) and The Bean Deluxe has made my recovery a little easier. I filled The Bean up more with air, and the exercises were easier to do. As I gain strength, I am able to let some air out to challenge my muscles.

I put The Bean in the living room & sit on it while I watch television. Sometimes I exercise while watching, sometimes I just sit on it – which gently engages my abs. Today I was asked three times if I’ve lost weight, and yes I have, about 6 pounds.

My only “problem” is that the video is for The Bean but the exerciser that I have is The Bean Deluxe.

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Buy It!!!!!!!!!, April 20, 2010

Simply amazing!!!! I was skeptical at first, but it delivers an intense core work-out without the backache. It is also very comfortable. Sometimes I lye on it and/or work-out while I watch a movie. The material is of high quality and extremely durable; we have three dogs, a cat, and a one-year-old…so far so good. My 250 lb. hubby has also used “The Bean Elite” so the weight rating holds up. If you are worried about deflation or puncture, it comes with repair patches. Also I find that “fix-a-flat” does wonders.

I own “The Bean Elite”; it is silver and teal unlike the navy blue that is shown in most pictures. It also has one gray handle on each side, and comes with a manual pump. It took me about three minutes to inflate. I have seen “The Bean”, “The Bean Deluxe”, “The Bean Elite”, and “The Bean Supreme”. In my personal opinion, they are all the same thing made by the same manufacturer. “The Bean” is the only one that is somewhat different because it is not beveled at both ends, and may not be as ergonomic and comfortable as the others. Buy which ever one is cheapest! There is even “The Bean Elite with Flex 10″, but for twice the amount of money. If you don’t own any resistance equipment than I suppose it may be worth it. However, some simple resistance bands incorporated into my routine with “The Bean Elite” do the same thing at a fraction of the cost.

The only downside to purchasing any one of “The Bean” series is that the manufacturer seams to be out of business. (bean.com is no longer available). For I took my chances, and it turned out to be one of the best pieces of fitness equipment that I have ever purchased. I may not have a manufacturer’s warranty, but for I can buy another one…at least while they last. So buy one while you still can!!!

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Ultimate Bean, January 27, 2010

This is one of the best exercise products I have ever used! I ordered one several years ago off of TV. It was more expensive but exactly the same as the one I recently ordered from Amazon. I love it! It is well worth the money. It makes doing sit-ups a breeze! I highly recommend this product to anyone who wants to exercise at home. It is especially good if you have bad pain, as I do, because it cushions your back while doing some of the exercises.

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