Exercise for productivity research

Second- and fourth-grade students in Canada were more attentive and less fidgety in class after spending four minutes engaged in physical activity, according to a recent study by researchers at Queen's University. They found that engaging students in what they called FUNtervals improved students' attention and performance in school.
Gurd BJ, Le Mare L, and Ma JK. Classroom-based high-intensity interval activity improves off-task behaviour in primary school students. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. 2014.
http://www.medicaldaily.com/fun-exercise-boost-kids-attention-school-performance-all-it-takes-4-minutes-308922

Study: Exercise improves math skills

Regular exercise in an after-school program helped sedentary, overweight children perform better on goal-oriented tasks, according to a study. The exercise also seemed to improve math skills, an area of great concern for U.S. educators. In the study, published online in the journal Health Psychology, children ages 7 to 11 in Augusta, Ga., were assigned to a group that got 20 minutes of aerobic exercise in an after-school program at the institute, one that got 40 minutes of exercise in a similar program, or a group that had no exercise program. The study used assessment tests to gauge cognitive and academic achievement.
Georgia Prevention Institute at Georgia Health Sciences University, 2011, EdWeek Exercise Improves Math Skills, Brain Study Suggests

Physical exercise and learning book

Physical exercise a good warm-up for learning
A first-period exercise class is helping Illinois teens prime their brains for the day's coursework -- a model that should be expanded nationwide, some education and medical experts say. Researcher John J. Ratey said, "The exercise itself doesn't make you smarter, but it puts the brain of the learners in the optimal position for them to learn."
Ratey, J. (2008). Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Education and the Brain. Little, Brown and Co.

Exercise and academics study

Exercise improves decision-making, possibly math skills
Daily exercise for three months can improve the brain function of overweight children, according to a new study of 200 overweight, inactive 7- to 11-year-olds that was presented this week at The Obesity Society's annual scientific meeting. "We hope these findings will help persuade policymakers, schools and communities that time spent being physically active enhances, rather than detracts from learning," said the study's lead investigator, Dr. Catherine Davis.
https://my.mcg.edu/portal/page/portal/News/archive/2007/3D1600D219D147BAE0440003BAD149FF