New research sheds light on why movement sharpens the mind

When we first launched The Park, we had a packed programme ready.  Scavenger hunts. Team challenges spread across the gardens. There was plenty of movement built in.  But we hadn’t planned on regular high-pulse activity.

That changed about an hour into our first morning.

A number of children were bursting with energy. It was obvious they needed to release it before they could properly focus again. So we made a change on the spot.

From then on, every 45 minutes we added 15 minutes of high-pulse activity. Running. Jumping. Chasing. Racing.  It changed the rhythm of the day — and the difference in focus afterwards was immediate.

At the time it felt like a practical solution. But it turns out there may be deeper science behind it.

New research from UCL shows that just 15 minutes of aerobic exercise releases BDNF — a protein sometimes called “fertiliser for the brain.”

BDNF helps neurons grow, strengthens connections between brain cells and supports the parts of the brain responsible for attention, decision-making and impulse control.

In other words: movement literally prepares the brain to think.

And perhaps Plato had already guessed as much. His Academy Park — the original “Park” — combined philosophy with physical exercise.

Maybe he intuitively understood something science is only now beginning to explain.