HEP Journal Club Focuses on the Benefits of Exercise

Through the parable of the sea squirt and the underlying principle “if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it”, Dr. Del Engstrom provided an insightful HEP Journal Club on Tuesday, November 19th, 2019 concerning the benefits of exercise on brain function, learning, and human physiology. As a sea squirt matures, it retires to an inactive state and actually absorbs its own brain! Yet, what does this tell us about the brain in relationship to physical activity and learning? We were built to move! Physical activity helps prevent and manage numerous common and chronic health conditions and serves as an important public health recommendation for people of all ages. Adaptive exercises and appropriate considerations can help stimulate individuals to start and resume regular activity. At a recommendation of thirty minutes per day, and the support of community engagement for safe areas of play, physical activity can lead to improvements in physiological function, learning ability, and also help us deviate from a fate similar to the sea squirt.