Semester 2 Inquiry: This semester, I will be exploring the correlation between measures taken to care for and nurture our bodies, and their inherent connection with the mind.
The concept of both physical and physiological impact on mental health and cognitive functioning is a profound topic that as been alluded to time and time again in modern research. However, it’s only fair to acknowledge that each individual is particularly unique and must nurture themselves accordingly. With no certain prescriptive idea on how to move and what to eat, how are we as a society able to pick apart the best methods to go about these daily occurrences without confusion? In other words, how can we eat and train to positively affect our brain and mental health to ensure longevity without compromising the joys of life?
From a scientific perspective, why and how can training and nutrition affect brain chemistry, and is it always for the better? These questions run rampant through the minds of an increasing population of health conscious people, making the influence of marketing predominant in ‘guaranteeing’ the prospect of health. Nevertheless, natural ways to go about this process exist on a superior scale. Starting with a scientific explanation and helping to expand general knowledge of this critical topic is the first step in minimizing preventable disease, poor mental health; and subsequently, vulnerability to addiction.
Thank you for reading, and I hope this topic resonates with an aspect of your life that you find important!
Hi Ava,
I enjoyed reading your blog post because it was very concise and detailed. I loved how you included that we need to positively affect our brain and mental health without compromising the joys of life. This is important to me because I often find a checklist of how to eat or how to exercise may take out the joy of eating and exercising. I also loved that you will be incorporating how to feel joyful while having a positive plan for eating and exercising. This will also have an impact on the global level because of the increase in depression rates between 2012 (4.7% of all fifteen-year-olds and older Canadians have depression) and 2022 (7.6% of all fifteen-year-olds and older Canadians have depression). I hope your future posts reach many people, so they can incorporate happiness in their busy routines! Some questions I have for you are: does gender play an important role in how much we should eat? Does age affect the way we should exercise? Do face shapes play a role in how we should exercise? Does our blood type impact the recommended type of exercise? Is it unhealthy to eat too much of a certain food item?
Here are some resources to further your research (all sources are peer-reviewed):
https://www.health.harvard.edu/topics/nutrition#:~:text=View%20All-,What%20is%20nutrition%20and%20why%20is%20nutrition%20important%3F,blood%20circulation%2C%20and%20immune%20system.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160774
https://www.who.int/health-topics/nutrition
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/health/food-nutrition.html
https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/about-nutrition/why-it-matters.html
Thank you,
Sarah Kim
Hi Ava,
I really enjoyed reading your Blog Post! Your Inquiry question caught my eye since health sciences is something I’m also passionate about! I like how you explained your topic from a scientific perspective and gave examples of some potential sub-questions you could use in the future. I would have liked to see more of your perspective throughout the Blog Post, like why physical activity and brain chemistry is something related to you or why you’re interested. I would have also loved to see some reasons as to why it is relevant to ask such an intriguing inquiry question from a global perspective.
Here are some sources that may help you in your future Blog Posts:
https://lifesciences.byu.edu/how-exercise-affects-your-brain#:~:text=Exercise%20feeds%20the%20brain&text=An%20increase%20in%20blood%20flow,to%20brain%20function%2C%20including%20memory.
https://www.apa.org/topics/exercise-fitness/stress
Overall great job and I really look forward to reading your future Blog Posts, good luck!
Perla 🙂