Unit 2: Brain Maintenance

Student Guide Lesson 2

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

 Recognize key behavioral adjustments that may be implemented to enhance learning

 Delineate the effect of multitasking on performance
 Explain the health benefit of physical activity/exercise

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: 3 1/2 mph walking

 Vigorous: Running or jogging 5 miles per hour

4. List some immediate benefits of physical activity:

 Builds brain connections
 Improves memory function
 Improves mental functioning

5. What are some LONGTERM benefits of physical activity?

 Decreased risk of chronic diseases and other health-related problems
 The improvements within the body systems
 The brain is a thinking organ and most age-related loss in motor skills is due to inactivity
 Better immunte function, less likely to become diabetic, have heart disease or cancer
 Delay of cognitive decline 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 a______
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 spatial
learning which makes sense for its activation during exercise

7. What are the elements of fitness?

U2L2 Student Guide 1

  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
 Medical Care/Physical
- Receiving physical examination
 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 core
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