We began Generation FIT with the initial goal to impact youth fitness and help with childhood obesity by adding 10-30+ minutes of technology delivered physical activity in a grade 3-12 classroom. Blostering activity in schools where PE had been reduced or eliminated had to be delivered in an easy and time-effective manner that didn't disrupt the learning or burden busy teachers. To our (woohoo) surprise, academic and behavioral progress soon followed. Others were doing similar things, capturing the attention of neuroscientists, who in the past few years have explained the link between exercise and cognitive function.
Daily, strenuous physical-education classes maximize brain power, according to a Harvard researcher who says cardiovascular fitness improves academic achievement and reduces school discipline problems.
Choosing between P.E. or academics sets up "a false debate, because our moving brain is our thinking brain. The same ... cells that we move with ... are the ones we use to think. When we move, we activate them," said Dr. John J. Ratey, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the author of "Spark: The Revolutionary Science of Exercise and the Brain."
Choosing between P.E. or academics sets up "a false debate, because our moving brain is our thinking brain. The same ... cells that we move with ... are the ones we use to think. When we move, we activate them," said Dr. John J. Ratey, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the author of "Spark: The Revolutionary Science of Exercise and the Brain."
Doing something physically challenging that also requires complex thinking is best, Ratey said. We were inspired to develop the FootPOWR peripheral for exactly that reason. What's that? Take a look at the FootGaming blog and website to see how a unique computer peripheral can seamlessly combine complex thinking tasks (computer games and software) with physical activity that gets the heart pumping.
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