John J. Ratey Quotes

“At every level, from the microcellular to the psychological, exercise not only wards off the ill effects of chronic stress; it can also reverse them.
Studies show that if researchers exercise rats that have been chronically stressed, that activity makes the hippocampus grow back to its preshriveled state.
The mechanisms by which exercise changes how we think and feel are so much more effective than donuts, medicines, and wine. When you say you feel less stressed out after you go for a swim, or even a fast walk, you are.”

“Exercise is another tool at your disposal, and it’s handy because it’s something you can prescribe for yourself.”

“Exercise is as effective as certain medications for treating anxiety and depression.”

“Exercise is medicine.”

“From an evolutionary perspective, exercise tricks the brain into trying to maintain itself for survival despite the hormonal cues that it is aging.”

“Getting older is unavoidable, but falling apart is not.”

“If everyone knew that exercise worked as well as Zoloft, I think we could put a real dent in the disease.”

“It turns out that moving our muscles produces proteins that travel through the bloodstream and into the brain, where they play pivotal roles in the mechanisms of our highest thought processes.”

“Just as anxiety can feed on itself, so can courage.”

“Like every other aspect of our psychology, motivation is biological.”

“One of the first symptoms of depression, even before your mood drops to new lows, is sleep disturbance. Either you can’t get up or you can’t get to sleep or both.”

“One of the prominent features of exercise, which is sometimes not appreciated in studies, is an improvement in the rate of learning.”

“Over time, regular exercise also increases the efficiency of the cardiovascular system, lowering blood pressure.”

“Physical activity counts as novel experience, at least as far as the brain is concerned.”

“The message I want to leave you with is that even as your body changes, exercise will keep your mind firm and taught.”

“We sometimes lose sight of the fact that the mind, brain, and body all influence one another. In addition to feeling good when you exercise, you feel good about yourself.”

“What makes aerobic exercise so powerful is that it’s our evolutionary method of generating that spark. It lights a fire on every level of your brain, from stoking up the neurons’ metabolic furnaces to forging the very structures that transmit information from one synapse to the next.”

“You have the power to change your brain. All you have to do is lace up your running shoes.”