For this weeks post I wanted to take a closer look at background research as a way to be more informed and build some knowledge as I get further into my project
I found this video How Exercise Rewires Your Brain for Better Mental Wellbeing interesting because it explains how exercise actually changes the brain, not just how we feel. Hearing a doctor break down the immediate and longāterm mental health benefits made me think differently about why movement matters, and it gave me practical ideas I can use in my own routine. It also feels important for my inquiry project because it gives me a researchābacked way to show that movement is a meaningful mentalāhealth support for people and can help emphasize this in the case of my project for both teachers and students.
The study by Zulyniak, Williams, Bulloch, Lukmanji & Patten (2020) looked at a large sample of Canadian youth aged 12ā17 to explore how different types and amounts of physical activity relate to mental health outcomes. They focused on topics such as depression, mental health, and the difference between recreational and nonārecreational physical activity. An interesting finding from Zulyniak et al. (2020) is how āFor each negative mental health outcome examined, there is a reduced frequency of poor mental health in association with higher levels of recreational physical activity (pg. 244).
Zulyniak, S., Williams, J. V. A., Bulloch, A. G. M., Lukmanji, A., & Patten, S. B. (2020). Physical Activity and Mental Health: A Cross-sectional Study of Canadian Youth. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29(4), 241ā252. Ccap29_p0241.pdf
Overall, I was not very surprised to read and listen about how exercise is good for us but I think I am much more aware of it now that I have taken the time to view these sources. This has set a strong foundation for my project going forward as I am more informed in this topic area.