Exercise Is Brain Training 🧠

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Watching The Motivation Factor this week felt like looking at a version of physical education that we’ve quietly lost.

The documentary follows the PE programme at La Sierra High School back in the 60s, where ordinary school kids were climbing ropes, moving across parallel bars, climbing peg boards, sprinting obstacle courses and knocking out pull-ups at a level that would humble most modern gym-goers.

La Sierra High School

But what struck me most wasn’t just the physical capability.

It was the philosophy behind it.

President John F. Kennedy heavily influenced the philosophy behind the La Sierra programme through his warnings about what he called a “Soft America.” He believed physical fitness wasn’t just about health or appearance, but about the quality and capability of both the individual and the nation itself.

One line in particular stood out:

“Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body; it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.”

That’s a pretty bold statement.

But the interesting thing is… modern research suggests he may have been right.

One of the core beliefs behind the La Sierra programme was that improving the physical health and capacity of the students would directly improve how they performed in the classroom too. Not just behaviour and discipline — but focus, learning, confidence and mental performance.

Today we’d probably call that cognitive function or executive function.

Back then, they simply seemed to understand that healthier, more physically capable kids tended to function better overall.

We now have a large body of research backing this up, showing regular exercise can positively influence focus, emotional regulation, decision making and stress resilience. In simple terms, movement doesn’t just change the body. It changes the brain too.

It often helps people show up better at work, at home, as parents, as partners and under stress.

Which honestly makes sense.

Humans probably weren’t designed to sit still all day, stare at screens for 10 hours, barely move and somehow still feel mentally sharp, emotionally stable and full of energy.

Movement seems to regulate the system.

Another Kennedy quote from that era warned against becoming “a nation of spectators” instead of participants in the vigorous life.

That idea feels incredibly relevant now.

Because modern life quietly pulls us towards spectating.

Watching instead of doing.

Scrolling instead of moving.

Consuming instead of participating.

And I think that’s one of the deeper reasons physical training matters.

Not because everyone needs abs.

Not because everyone should chase elite performance.

But because physical capability supports human capability.

That’s a big part of what “Strong For Life” means to me.

Not training simply to look fit.

But training to stay physically and mentally capable.

To participate in life, not just spectate from the sidelines.

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P.S. If you enjoyed this week's Thursday Three, please share it with a friend.

Thanks,

Jamie