There is much in the news currently highlighting the benefits of exercise. The UK Government obviously agree, as during recent COVID-19 lockdown we were permitted to leave our homes in order to exercise. It was great to see so many families and people in the streets and parks, enjoying the outdoors, taking in our beautiful cities and countryside.
At Juunipa Tutors we have always been huge supporters of home/school and home/work life balance and can't stress enough the importance we place on keeping active, in each and any form that it can take.
I read recently that dementia can be reduced by 50% if a healthy, physically and mentally active lifestyle can be followed; eat well, exercise, socialize, stimulate the brain cells and keep pushing those nerve endings to discover new things.
Dr. John J. Ratey, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, has explored the connection between exercise and the brain, providing strong evidence that aerobic exercise physically remodels the brain for peak performance on all fronts.
Specifically, Dr. Ratey writes that exercise improves learning on three levels: "First, it optimizes your mind-set to improve alertness, attention, and motivation; second, it prepares and encourages nerve cells to bind to one another, which is the cellular basis for logging in new information; and third, it spurs the development of new nerve cells from stem cells in the hippocampus." In short, not only does exercise help the brain get ready to learn but it actually makes retaining information easier.
Many SpLD schools therefore place a huge amount of emphasis on exercise, weaving in daily sports lessons into the curriculum. Something that I would urge parents to review when selecting schools.
With this in mind Juunipa Tutors is SO proud of our sponsorship and involvement with local competitive riders and their beautiful horses. In coming weeks we'll be sharing updates of their competition successes, outings and training sessions. If you see a Juunipa Tutors horsebox on the move, please do give us a wave!
Fresh air, concentration, physical strength, mental focus and dedication are all huge levellers. Sport and exercise, will of course always have highs and lows... what doesn't, but don't the lows make the highs even sweeter!
Have a great weekend people, get out, get moving, stimulate those nerve endings and remember exercise does make learning easier.
Juunipa Tutors providers of creative and bespoke Home Schooling, Private Tuition and After School Clubs.
