Unit 2: Brain Maintenance

Student Guide Lesson 2

1. What are the objectives of today’s lesson?

● tie neuroscience to key health behaviors that enhance learning and health behaviors
● What can you do to enhance your learning and performance without additional studying
● how to manage stress with health practices

2. What is physical activity?

● Physical activity is exercise and simply means movement of the body that uses energy
● For health benefits, physical activity should be moderate or vigorous intensity

3. List some examples of moderate and vigorous physical activity:

● Moderate: walking, biking, jogging

● Vigorous: workouts, fast running

4. List some immediate benefits of physical activity:

● assists with the proper release of hormones
● brain builds connections
● facilitates information processing
● increases oxygen to the brain

5. What are some LONGTERM benefits of physical activity?

● Decreased risk of chronic diseases and other health-related problems
● The improvements within the body system
● The brain is a thinking organ and most age-related loss in motor skills is due to inactivity
● Better immune function, less likely to become diabetic, have heart disease or cancer
● Delay of cognitive delcine with aging

6. How does exercise impact the brain?

● Growing evidence suggests exercise has a positive impact on the brain
● Brain health benefits, including possible improvement cognitive function, reduced anxiety
and depression risk, and improved sleep and quality of life
● Studies show that exercise makes new neurons
- New neurons are formed in the hippocampus, an area especially involved in social
learning which makes sense for its activation during exercise

U2L2 Student Guide 1

 7. What are the elements of fitness?
● Cardiorespiratory Endurance
● Muscular Strength
● Muscular Endurance
● Flexibility
● Body Composition

8. Why does practicing/repetition important to the brain?

● Neurons are the building blocks of the brain
● Dendrites receive the signal between neurons
● A neural connection forms at the synapse

9. Why do we get better with practice?

● Brain attends to stimuli
● Brain selects relevant stimulus
● Brain organizes activity; sends a message to act
● Activity is successful; positive reinforcement
● Motor pattern is practiced and remembered

10. How can you exercise safely?

● Proper Water Intake
- Dehydration
- Proper hydration and fluid intake are essential during exercise
- Hyper-hydration can cause brain swelling
● Weather Considerations
- Appropriate clothing
- First Aid precautions for extreme weather conditions
● Safety Equipment
- Clothing
- Footwear
- Protective Gear
● Surrounding
- Keep music at a reasonable level while exercising
- Statistics show a high number of individuals hit by vehicles during exercise were hit
because they could not hear the vehicle

11. What are the risks associated with dehydration?

U2L2 Student Guide 2

 ● Brain Dehydration- by the time the brain feels the effects of dehydration, the rest of the
body is at risk
● Dehydration causes a reduction in blood volume
- An increase in the thickness of the blood causes the heart to work harder
● Dehydration causes a decrease in the rate at which a person sweats
- A decrease in the body’s ability to release heat from the body causes an increase in cory
body temperature

12. What is the summary?

● Physical activity promotes learning and performance by enhancing brain function
● To perform a skill, numerous parts of the brain must work with your sensory organs, and the
coordination of your entire body to execute a coordinated movement
● Practice is key for optimal performance
● Remember to apply growth mindset
● Hydration is a life critical element in maintaining the brain and the body’s functions

U2L2 Student Guide 3