It was a blast talking with Dr. John Ratey. In this conversation, we learn from Dr. Ratey about optimizing brain health with exercise! Did you know that once you start moving, your brain lights up? Walking, running, swimming, bicycling, and movement, in general fires up the brain and helps to improve overall brain health.

Exercise causes the brain to create a number of hormones and chemicals including BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) which promotes brain health and helps to slow the progression of dying brain cells. Neuroplasticity allows the brain to learn new skills and movements via the creation of new neural firing pathways. The more active we are, the healthier our brain will be.

Best selling author, John J. Ratey, MD, is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and an internationally recognized expert in Neuropsychiatry. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles, and 11 books published in 17 languages, including the groundbreaking ADD-ADHD “Driven to Distraction” series with Ned Hallowell, MD. With the publication of "Spark-The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain," Dr. Ratey has established himself as one of the world's foremost authorities on the brain-fitness connection. His most recent book, “Go Wild” explores how we can achieve optimal physical and mental health by getting in touch with our caveman roots, and how we can “re-wild” our lives.

Recognized by his peers as one of the Best Doctors in America since 1997, Dr. Ratey was recently honored by the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society as "Outstanding Psychiatrist of the Year" for advancing the field. Dr. Ratey and his work are frequently profiled in the media, where he’s been featured on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and NPR, as well as in The New York Times, Newsweek, The Washington Post, US News and World Report, Men’s Health, and other national publications.