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Maybe we should start each school day (and work day) with at least 20 minutes of aerobic exercise – it improves concentration, comprehension and learning.

This week CBC news (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) put out a very interesting story about City Park High School in Saskatoon, that put treadmills and exercise bikes into a math classroom, and before doing any math, the kids strapped on their heart-rate monitors and did 20 minutes of moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise. This is an alternative school for those with learning difficulties, and over half the students have ADHD. They couldn't sit still, many had behavioural problems, and they couldn't learn. Well, the cardio equipment went in the classroom in February, and by June, pretty much all the kids had jumped a full grade in reading, writing and math. After doing the exercise the kids were suddenly able to sit still and focus on what they were learning, and they were able to understand what they were being taught. The exercise altered their brain chemistry enough to make learning possible, AND it greatly improved their behaviour.

With physical education frequently being cut out of curriculums to make time for academics, this should give pause for thought. Taking 20 to 40 minutes a day for sustained physical activity improves learning and grades in academic subjects more than actually using that time for the academic subjects themselves. Sustained aerobic exercise of between 65 to 75% of one's max heart rate wakes up the frontal cortex of the brain, the part that is needed for behavioural control. (To figure out your child's correct heart-rate zone, subtract his/her age from 220, and take 65 to 75% of that to get the target heart beats per minute.) Exercise causes the brain to create more nerve cells (neurogenesis), makes those nerves stronger, and helps them withstand stress, and improves neurotransmitter function, which helps the brain work better. Dr. Ratey, one of the key researchers in this area, noted not only improvements in those with ADHD, but also in those with bipolar disorder and schitzophrenia as well.

Alison Cameron, the grade 8 teacher at City Park School, noted that between February and June, the attention span of her students increased from 10 minutes to 3 hours. Many of the kids got off ritalin, and the kids were coming to school every day so she had the opportunity to actually teach them, which also improved learning. The students reported feeling happier, less angry, and definitely smarter, which improved their confidence levels, and made them realize that they would be capable of succeeding in life if they applied themselves.

In this day and age where we are moving less and less, sitting at the computer more and more, and children are less frequently allowed outside to play on their own, we need to ensure that kids get daily physical education, and beyond that, we need to make sure that every child and teen is actually moving enough during PE. In most PE classes, 80% of the kids are standing around waiting for their turn, or simply trying to avoid participating. It takes at least 20 minutes of sustained activity three times a week to make the difference in behavioural and academic performance, and that should be an important focus of school PE class in my opinion.

We are meant to move, and if we don’t we are not as resilient and we can’t use our brains maximally. So parents, if you want your kids to be smarter and better behaved and your school does not provide adequate movement time for your kids, perhaps family-based physical activity should become a priority. Creating the exercise habit young will also help them maintain a healthy body weight, and set them up for a life of good health.

If you would like to see the CBC documentary, click here. I think it is an amazing, hopeful story.

If you want to search for other posts by title or by topic, go to www.wellnesstips.ca.

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If one of your relatives were choking, drowning, or having a heart attack, would you know what to do to help them? Would you be able to save their life?

Accidents happen. Kids fall into pools or swallow marbles. A parent may have a heart condition. A family member or friend may accidentally choke on some food at our dinner table.

I remember the first time I took first aid and CPR, I thought that it was about saving strangers, but I think the bottom line is the person we might save is far more likely to be someone we know and love.

Even in a city with good ambulance service, it is realistically going to take a minimum of 10-15 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. Considering the chance of survival for someone without a pulse goes down by about 10% each minute, the importance of early intervention is paramount.

The techniques are simple, may make the difference between life and death for someone we love, and all it takes is a short course, ranging from 3 hours to 6 hours long, depending upon which CPR course taken.

Personally, I think everyone should take at least CPR, if not first aid also, every year starting in about grade 6. I think it would be prudent for every parent of youngsters to take a baby and child CPR/First Aid course and recertify every other year just in case, particularly to be able to handle airway obstructions (choking, severe food allergic reactions).

Heart attacks are now killing more premenopausal women than any other disease, and in this demographic, the symptoms are very obscure, and not what one would typically associate with a heart attack.

For premenopausal women, the predominant symptoms are sudden overwhelming fatigue, anxiety, and stomach upset. Not chest pain or heaviness, not left arm or jaw pain which is more typical of male heart attacks.

Frequently when men have a heart attack, they tend to deny, deny, deny that there is a problem. They will often tell their spouses NOT to call an ambulance.

So women, if you think your spouse, boyfriend, son is having a heart attack, don’t listen to them. Call for that ambulance. Because if his heart should stop, what is most likely to save him will be the shock of a defibrillator, and if those paddles are not on his chest within 5 minutes, his chance of survival is remote. Better safe than sorry.

Although cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a good thing to know how to do, the bottom line is it is a defibrillator used within 5 minutes of cardiac arrest that is more likely to save the life.

And thankfully small, portable Automated External Defibrillators (AED) are available for anyone to purchase, and are becoming more and more affordable with each passing year.

These are extremely easy to use by anyone – no medical training required CPR courses usually now include a section on how to use an AED.

Diagrams show the user where to place the electrodes, and then with a push of the button, the device assesses the heart rhythm of the patient, and applies the type of shock needed to restart the heart, only if that shock is necessary. This device will not shock a heart that does not need one.

Remember – for every minute that someone is without a pulse, the chance of survival goes down by 10%. CPR alone may save 1-2% of cardiac arrests, but with an AED, survival rates jump up to between 40 and 50%.

So, if someone in your family has a heart condition, perhaps it is worth purchasing one for the house or car, as the ambulance defibrillator will likely arrive too late. Sure, they are still expensive – about $1300US, but ask yourself if your loved one is worth it.

On a completely different topic, for you nature lovers out there, check out these eagle cams, looking into the nests of bald eagles in south-western BC. This nesting pair near White Rock on Vancouver Island has 3 eggs, soon to hatch in early to mid April.

If you want to search for other posts by title or by topic, go to www.wellnesstips.ca.

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