Exercise and Brain Development

School time is almost here!  Whether your kiddos look forward to the classroom and routines or dread getting up each morning depends on many things, the most important of which is their ability to learn.

Many kids struggle to grasp academic concepts, and it is so extremely frustrating.  They watch other kids excel at school and become even more frustrated in their abilities as a student.  Math, science, social studies, English, reading, or learning a second language is a hard process and it does not come easy for every single child. 

It is now very well known and highly researched that adding a regular exercise routine to children’s learning helps them expand their ability to learn.  The brain is a very flexible muscle – you need to use it or you will use it!  Exercise is proven to help kids with ADHD focus and improve their academics.   Oh, and by the way, this goes for adults too!  

Phil Eich has published scholarly papers on CrossFit Training as it relates to children and learning.  His research shows us that CrossFit’s training, as developed and delivered to children is superior to the traditional, sports based physical education programs.  

“The CrossFit Kids curriculum is effective because it creates a physical learning environment that builds on the idea that all children have differing abilities and need to be challenged at their individual point of development in order for effective learning to take place. This differentiated instruction allows a child to continually and efficiently progress, minimizing the risk of frustration or stagnation.

“Every skill, every movement, every workout and every game can be scaled to a child’s ability (made easier or harder) so he or she is challenged by something difficult but not discouraged by something impossible. This not only allows for efficient and effective teaching and learning but also increases students’ desire to participate and challenge themselves.

“CrossFit Kids uses the natural process of motor development to increase learning effectiveness and efficiency. Instead of confining a child’s development with rules and movement limitations of sports while running the risk of contributing to the detrimental effects of overspecialization, CrossFit Kids uses a child’s natural propensity for constantly varied movement by using constantly varied movement.”

In regards to physical activity and brain development, it is important to understand the concept of plasticity.  Plasticity in the brain means that the brain is constantly re-wiring itself based on different experiences and repetition.  Kids brains have much more plasticity than adults, which is why they have the capacity to learn things much quicker than adults. 

CrossFit Headquarters has now identified four types of experiences, which have been shown to enable the brain to maximize learning.  The way we program and deliver our CrossFit Kids program (and adult programs for that matter), create an amazing experience for children.  

Stimulus #1 – Novel Experiences
These prime the brain cells for new experiences. She notes, “CrossFit ensures kids will be exposed to novel experiences by prescribing constantly varied movements. This gives a different spin to the term “teachable moments.” Every time our children and teens participate in a WOD, their brains are being primed for learning through new visual, auditory, and tactile cues. As our kids work out, they are changing the “combinations” of their brain cells. These changes mean that permanent learning is just another experience away.”

Stimulus #2 – Repetition
As with any “learning” or rehabilitation from injuries, repetition makes it permanent. “Having been primed at first exposure (novel experience), the brain is now ready to make the pathway permanent. The more times that specific neural pathway is stimulated, the stronger the attraction between its participating neurons becomes.”

Stimulus #3 – Complexity
As Dr. Ratey and others have noted, one learns better when moving. Rodi notes: “Complexity causes the brain to become more active since more areas of the brain are stimulated. The brain functions as a whole unit, each part reliant on the proper functioning of the other. In learning a new skill or idea, the more areas of the brain you actively engage in any particular activity, the more likely the brain is to remember it. This is particularly potent when you simultaneously engage both the motor and cognitive areas of the brain.”

Stimulus #4 – The Hebb Rule
Named after Dr. Donald Hebb, a pioneer in neuropsychology, this final piece of the puzzle encourages the association of learning with other positive stimuli. “Those stimuli which are continually paired or grouped together are more likely to become permanently recorded in the brain.”

Long story short, we need to get our kids moving!  CrossFit is an incredible way to help our kids overcome the challenges of hours of screen time a day and very sedentary lifestyles.  Our society is facing an epidemic of childhood obesity, poor self-esteem, and insecurities.  A fitness program can improve all of these, and on top of that, they become smarter and more confident in their learning abilities!