APPROACH
movement
Movement and exercise can also improve your mood and self-esteem, increase mental alertness while reducing your anxiety. (Dr. Sharma, 2006) As a society, exercise has been widely known to promote physical health and conditioning. Humans have celebrated physical activity for centuries through sports and play. It has been widely accepted that for seniors there is an abundance of research indicating positive relationships between physical activity and overall cognitive function. For students and special needs students, the importance of exercise is often overlooked. For students with mood disorders, evidence suggests that less than 50% of Mental Health Professionals prescribe regimented exercise as part of a treatment program. (Philips, 2017) Physical activity allows the brain to better optimize neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to adapt to challenges. Exercise increases synaptic function and numbers. It is this change and growth that allow for greater behavioral modification. Research, led by Charles Hillman, the director of the Neurocognitive Kinesiology Laboratory, at University of Illinois, suggests that physical activity increases the flow of blood to the brain which directly increase students’ cognitive control - or ability to pay attention - and also result in better performance on academic achievement tests. In the image below we see two different brain scans. After twenty minutes of walking, the human brain is more active resulting in better cognitive abilities, reading comprehension and increased creative thinking. Based upon the results of numerous tests and studies, Dr. Hillman recommends educators integrate simple movement into the typical classroom education.
Dr. Hillman also indicates that as little as twenty minutes of exercise can equate to twelve hours of positive mood enhancement. Mood enhancement via physical activity is becoming more prevalent as part of overall strategies for treating Bi-polar disorder, depression and anxiety. Exercise has been shown to reduce symptoms. Endorphins are released with exercise that help counteract the effects of mood disorders and result in more positive self esteem. (Mayo Clinic, 2020) As much as 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise three to five days a week results in significant improvement depression and anxiety symptoms. More intense exercise over shorter periods of time have a similar effect. Reasonable goals and expectations are important for long term care. Practicality of approach for any prescribed movement program will be more readily tolerated and thus will increase adherence.
Figure 36
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Approach
