Many grown-ups know firsthand that physical exercise can help overcome the angst of adult life. Now a new study suggest that physical activity, especially competitive sports, can be even more helpful for teens.

You might have heard the segment on today’s Morning Edition entitled, “Why Exercise May Do A  Teenage Mind Good,” touting the value of daily physical activity for adolescents’ mental health.

In the report, Yale University child psychologist Alan Kazdin, the editor of Clinical Psychological Science, says the findings show just how bountiful the benefits of exercise can be.

“I think it would be too strong to call it an elixir, but it has the broad effects of something like that,” he says.

Maggie Vaults Over the Moon is a new novel that retells the story of Maggie Steele, a farm girl from tiny Grain Valley, Kansas, who suffers a major tragedy in her life. Written by Grant Overstake, the story chronicles Maggie’s difficult rise to a brighter future through pole-vaulting, a very demanding form of exercise. Continue Reading →