Last week, Drs. Katie Gunnell, Veronica Poitras, and Mark Tremblay were invited to write a guest blog for the Canadian Education Association about the benefits of physical activity for brain development in adolescents.
From the blog post:
Decades of research have shown that children who are physically active have a lower risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, depression, and obesity. Researchers have also recently uncovered the beneficial effects of physical activity for healthy brain development, which can lead to improved learning and academic outcomes. Children who are active (e.g., as little as a 20 minute walk) have more active brains, better standardized test scores, and improved attention in the classroom. Moreover, researchers are beginning to recognize that excessive sedentary behaviours (waking activities that are characterized by low energy expenditure – e.g., sitting, watching TV, or “screen time”) negatively influence brain health and may even counteract the benefits of activity. Therefore, obtaining sufficient physical activity and limiting sedentary time are both important for healthy brain development.
Click here to read the entire blog post.
