(COULD BE A NEGATIVE AFFECT FROM SPORTS ONTO THE BRAIN/MIND)




 In this  book John J. Ratey claims that stress and anxiety are the two major factors that prevent people from reaching their full potential within the brain/mind


One reason/fact/example that supports this main idea is that when the body is suffering from stress, a lack of blood flow and availability of glucose occurs. When a lack of glucose occurs, the body can not produce enough ATP to energize its system. Glucose is also known to be substance that calms and sooth the muscles in your body. 


Another reason/fact/example that supports this main idea is _the fact that when an individual is stressed, he/she's muscles begin to tense up which therefore leads to a limited circulation of blood to the brain. In order for the brain to properly function, a continuous flow of blood is needed. If that supply is not met, an individual may be exposed to poor decision making skills, lack of direction, and overall unawareness of his/she surroundings.   




Finally, the author gives the reason/fact/example that can be seen through his experiments with fourty local Naperville Central Highschool students in 2008.  In these testings, Ratey collected records that measured stress before a substantial test in school. In this experiment he took an experimental group of two students and compared them with a control group of thirty eight students. The experimental group was asked to perform a series of exercises such as swimming activities before the test, while the control group displayed what any normal high schooler would do, stress and worry about how hard the test will be. After the test scores were compared between the two groups, Ratey concluded that exercising and being highly active results in the better distribution of blood throughout the body. By having more swiftly moving circulation throughout the body, your mind is able to open up a greater capability of acknowledging, memorizing, and applying certain information given to you. 



These ideas are similar a personal situation of mine from when I was playing baseball on a highly competitive travel baseball team last year. When I was playing for this team in the summer, I endured so much stress that eventually my muscles began to cramp up and I lost control of throwing a baseball. Fortunately, I solved the problem later that summer. Due to this book, I now have accumulated a better knowledge and understanding for how stress and anxiety affects your mind and body.