An interview with Dr. John Ratey, the Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a researcher, speaker and author of “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain”. Dr. Ratey explains how exercise relates to the brain, an individual’s mental health and wellbeing. He answers a variety of questions on the topic, including the role of physical activity and mental healthcare sectors in leading others to exercise.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about you and how you came to write Spark?

Every September since 2009, Minds in Motion - KW Walking Classic has gained momentum in bringing together the walking community with people with lived experience with mental illness. The event is successful in raising awareness in the walking community about mental health and in raising funds for walking shoes for participants in a diabetes prevention program, called People in Motion at Waterloo Regional Homes for Mental Health as well as other social services agencies in Waterloo Region. We have included insights on this competitive walking event from participant Robert de Boyrie, Chair and co-founder Sue Lewis and her husband Dave Lewis and People in Motion program coordinator, Gayle Parker.
 

An interview with Chris Hill, a personal trainer and case manager, who engages clients through the Active Recovery approach at the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Cochrane Timiskaming Branch.  Active Recovery is not a program, so much as an approach to case management and community support that many staff can be involved in at some level. This approach is used to support clients who show an interest in improving their physical health.

An interview with Noemia Cerqueira, a mental health clinician at Toronto Western Hospital, who has created an exercise program for Portuguese-speaking women, recovering from mental illness.