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At the beginning of the 40th century, Charles Hillman, a psychophysiologist at Harvard Medical School in the United States, selected 0 students from 0 students in grades 3 to 5 to form an experimental group through a series of professional exercise tests, half of which were in good physical condition and the other half were relatively poor.
Next, Professor Charles tested the basic cognitive abilities of the two groups of students.The results showed that students with better physical fitness had more active brains during the test.
Subsequently, he designed a comparative experiment in which one group of students walked briskly on a treadmill for 20 minutes while the other group sat still for 0 minutes.
After the heart rates of both groups returned to normal, he used an EEG device to record and analyse their EEG activity to assess cognitive indicators such as brain excitability, concentration and information processing efficiency.
The experimental results showed that the students who walked briskly for 20 minutes performed better in the subsequent cognitive ability tests, which had a significant advantage over the group of students who sat still. In particular, those students who were physically fit were more likely to see a more significant improvement in performance.
Based on Charles Hillman's research, a number of secondary schools in the United States, including Naperville Middle School and Hampton Middle School, have launched an activity called the "Zero Hour Sports Program".
The plan stipulates that students do not need to read or attend classes in the morning, but go to the sports field to exercise first, and wait until the student's physical activity reaches the maximum heart rate or 70% of the maximum oxygen uptake before starting class.
When the program was first launched, there was a lot of resistance from parents because they thought that their children would not want to wake up early and do physical exercise before class, so they would not have the energy to study.
However, with the rollout of the program, parents changed their minds, and it turned out that after one semester of the Zero Hour Sports Program, a series of positive changes had taken place among the students.
First of all, students are more awake in class, more focused, more active, more positive in learning, and the quality of homework completed and test scores have improved.
Secondly, there has been a significant increase in student attendance.
Third, there has been a corresponding decrease in incidents such as fights on campus.
Now, the program is not only popular in schools in the United States, but has also affected our country.Many schools in our country have also begun to explore and try to introduce similar physical activity programs.
Why do children who exercise regularly change so dramatically, and what is the difference between children who exercise regularly and those who never exercise?
First, change the structure and function of the brain
Studies have found that exercise not only promotes the development of the hippocampus (an area closely related to learning and memory) in the brain, but also increases the amount of blood pumped by the heart, which increases the number of nerve cells in the brain and tightens the connection of neurons in the brain.
This means that children who exercise regularly have more oxygen and nutrients available to their brains, and more efficient neurotransmitters.
Therefore, children who exercise regularly naturally perform better than children who do not like sports in cognitive functions such as learning, memory, and attention.
Second, it promotes the secretion of neurotransmitters
Exercise has been shown to stimulate the brain to secrete a variety of neurotransmitters, especially dopamine, which is closely related to reward, pleasure, and attention.
When dopamine production is insufficient, people may show problems such as difficulty concentrating, memory loss, etc.
In addition, exercise also promotes the secretion of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), a special protein that promotes the proliferation and differentiation of brain neurons, thereby optimizing the structure and function of the brain.
Therefore, compared with children who do not exercise, children who exercise regularly may be more focused and efficient in learning, and are more likely to form positive learning attitudes and habits.
Third, promote mental health
In addition to promoting the secretion of neurotransmitters by the brain, exercise can also promote or inhibit the secretion of various hormones by the brain, such as promoting the secretion of serotonin (which plays an important role in regulating mood, sleep and appetite) and inhibiting the secretion of cortisol (which is related to stress).
Therefore, compared with children who do not like to exercise, children who exercise regularly not only have better mood, sleep, and appetite, but also have less stress, so they can often show stronger stress resistance and higher learning efficiency in learning.