Rationale
The main purpose for this annotated bibliography is to research the controversies relating to exercise and its effects on the mental health of humans. With multiple companies lately adopting and encouraging a work-exercise balanced lifestyle and others simply stressing more work-time, my goal is to answer with the use of reliable sources whether if there indeed exists a correlation between physical exercise and the health and productivity of a mind, or if it is simply a myth. As an engineering student, concerned with making world processes efficient, this topic triggers my interest as I aspire to adopt the model that can maximize productivity into my life and potentially implement it into an industry in the future. This research should appear interesting to anyone engaged in a workplace as it will allow them to manage their time in a manner to achieve optimal productivity. With this research, I hope to discover the effect that exercise may have on the human mind and from there formulate an informed and objective opinion to then use for the upcoming project for this course.
Research Questions
- What evidence is out there claiming that exercise can benefit the human mind to be more productive?
- What type of studies have been conducted to answer the dispute that exercising can help the mind and who has conducted the studies? Are there any beneficiaries behind them?
- What’s the comparison in the endeavors between the minds of non-exercising individuals and individuals who exercise regularly?
Annotations
Lind, Erik, and Ekkakis-Panteleimon, Welch A. ‘Do mind over muscle strategies work? Examining the effects of attentional association and dissociation on exertional, affective and physiological responses to exercise.’ Sports Medicine, vol. 39, no. 9, 2009, p. 743+. Health Reference Center Academic, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A207828878/HRCA?u=purdue_main&sid=HRCA&xid=59da6de8.
The Writer: Erik Lind is a professor of Kinesiology Studies for the State University of New York at Oneonta whose research focuses on the impact of sports on the central nervous system. Panteleimon Ekkekakis is a an Associate Professor at the Department of Kinesiology at Iowa State University whose research mainly focuses on the cognitive and physiological factors that are caused due to responses to physical activity from different levels of intensity. Amy Welch has a PhD in exercise science and teaches at Northern Vermont University.
The Publication: The article was published in the Sports Medicine 2009 book edition, which is a reputable publication where scientists and researchers can shared their works with the ultimate purpose of informing about the effect of sports on the health of humans. The article was accessed through Purdue University’s Library Database.
The Summary: The article is a research proposal that examines the effects of physical inactivity in adults and the reasons behind the psychological stress that certain individuals might experience initially when first compromised to an exercise routine. On the other hand, it also addresses the attenuating outcomes of exercise to stress when practiced at different intensities; with the incorporation of a study in which various participants perceived a better attentional focus after exercising.
The Stance: The authors exemplify a stance of support to exercise as they remark how enhancing in an exercise activity and promoting long-term compliance can be beneficial to bodily muscles and the mind at the same time.
The Use: This article proves to be great material as it provides great emphasis on how exercise triggers different responses in different people and how this has a close correlation to mental emotions and focus.
ÖHman, Hannareeta, et al. “Effects of Exercise on Cognition: The Finnish Alzheimer Disease Exercise Trial: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.” Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, vol. 64, no. 4, 2016, pp. 731–738.
The Writer: Hannareeta Ohman is a Neurologist who along with other colleagues have researched Alzheimer repercussions and the possible ways to decrease them such as through exercise.
The Publication: The article was published by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, which is a peer-reviewed site in which distinguished medical doctors publish some of their proven researches.
The Summary: The article is based on a study where the relationship between physical exercise and cognitive function was evaluated and demonstrated that in 11 randomized controlled trials, performed in healthy older adults, it was suggested that aerobic exercise had positive effects on motor function, auditory attention, cognitive speed, and visual attention.
The Stance: The article poses a solid argument suggesting how exercise improves the cognition within adults and thus it recommends to practice any aerobic exercise at least twice a week for specific periods of time.
The Use: This article is quite useful as it describes in a detailed manner and with substantial evidence how sports are correlated with cognitive responses and it demonstrates how adults both healthy and with Alzheimer are benefitted from exercise.
Hillman, Charles H., and John R. Biggan. “A Review of Childhood Physical Activity, Brain, and Cognition: Perspectives on the Future.” Pediatric Exercise Science, vol. 29, no. 2, 2017, pp. 170–176.
The Writer: Charles Hillman is a professor of psychology at Northeastern University whose areas of expertise are cognitive neuroscience and kinesiology. John R. Biggan is a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign whose expertise is related to memory and neuroscience.
The Publication: The article was published by the Pediatric Exercise Science manuscript in the Human Kinetics Journals, which is a peer reviewed site in which articles written by professionals with kinetic expertise are published.
The Summary: The article displays a beneficial relationship between physical activity and academic outcomes of students in High School. It also stresses with a great incorporation of studies and citations how physical activity is associated with better results on tests of cognitive abilities of students.
The Stance: Hillman and Biggan notably adopt an opinion in which they suggest that exercise has a tremendous impact on the academic performance of students who also devote time to studying. Despite that they do mention how exercise has not been related to how much material a student actually learns, they do suggest that exercise has a great impact on academics.
The Use: The article is very useful and practical as it describes in an objective manner how exercise has a direct impact to the mind and thus affect how well students perform in academics.
McGonigal, Kelly. “Training for Mind-Body Resilience: Research Explores How Exercise Can Protect against the Harmful Effects of Chronic Stress.” IDEA Fitness Journal, vol. 10, no. 4, 2013, pp. 36–43.
Hillman, Charles H., et al. “Be Smart, Exercise Your Heart: Exercise Effects on Brain and Cognition.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 1 Jan. 2008
Topic Synthesis Statement
Now that I have conducted a vast amount of research on the truth behind the correlation of exercise and the mind I am now able to clearly “join all the pieces of the puzzle” and realize that exercise plays a really important role for the cognition of a human. It is through exercise among other factors that the brain literally renews itself gains the necessary capabilities to direct the neurological choices that one makes. My impression of exercise is now more than just bringing cardiovascular benefits and a healthier figure, but also a more productive brain. Some key controversies that this topic has as a whole lie within the discrepancies that different minds believe optimal productivity is achieved. On one side you have the people that believe that still carry 20th century industrial revolution working traits in which the workforce is thought as a tool that never gets tired, and on the other hand you have the more modern minds who root for a more balanced work-exercise life to achieve the best possible outcomes in labor by taking care of employees.
The sources utilized all share an emphasis on exercising as a way to improve the cognition of the mind. Moreover, they are similar in the sense that they were written by individuals with a really high degree of education, which suggests that there’s a vast knowledge within their texts. I found very few discrepancies in the texts.
The sources found, both objectively and subjectively respond to the posed research questions by conveying over and over again how exercise is indeed a truly beneficial practice that the mind can benefit from. Through different approaches, the articles utilized make it clear that the mind can be programmed to be more efficient if simply the right amount of inputs are given to it, such as exercise for recreation.
