There has always been a lot of speculation that exercise positively impacts mood, but now the scientific evidence is rolling in that it also impacts intelligence.
The studies are currently showing that working out not only impacts your mood, but they show that exercise builds a brain that resists physical shrinkage and enhances cognitive flexibility. In fact, some scientists have surmised that exercise does more for intelligence than studying does.
So why would exercise build brain power the way that thinking right now? It all has to do with the fact that the brain, like muscles, is a tissue. As you age or if you don’t use it sufficiently, your brain function will decline. As you age, your brain will shrink.
As noted in my first health blog this month, exercise slows a muscles atrophy. Therefore, it’s the same with the brain.
Scientists now think that you can generate more brain cells. Previously, the thought was you were born with your brain cells and that would never change. Scientists now believe that exercise jump starts brain cell growth.
What scientists have found is that when you exercise, you make neurons nimble. However, mixing learning with exercise is synergistic. What scientists believe is that when you learn, you need to wire it into the existing neural network. Exercise will do just that.
What scientists believe is that when you exercise, you create a substance in your brain that fortifies the connectors between neurons and it sparks brain growth. Scientists have found this chemical in high levels in individual bloodstreams after a workout. Scientists believe that this is only part of the answer, but it supports the hypothesis that exercise does make your smarter.
What is unclear at this point is what type of exercise you need to do. Is it strength or endurance. A few studies have shown that those who lift weights positively impacted cognitive abilities in older adults versus those adults who didn’t do anything. There are other studies that show endurance activities, such as running or other aerobic activities will help cognitive abilities as we age.
The last question is whether or not the exercise needs to be exhausting or not. A recent study has shown that even walking or stretching programs will increase brain growth with consistent and longer-term practice. However, even in that study, it showed that runners had more benefit than walkers, but walkers still had some benefit.
So, based upon these studies, I recommend you set yourself up for a smart 2018. What I mean by this is start an exercise program which involves smart exercise, with a mix of strength, power and endurance activities, and makes sure you stick with it. Contact me if you have any questions at pat@patsgym.com.
