Exercise for Brain Health
Most people begin an exercise regime to control their weight or combat a health condition. But exercise also improves your brain function. Physical activity increases blood flow to the whole body, including your brain. The greater the blood flow, the faster oxygen and other important nutrients can get where they need to be. This promotes your brain’s ability to adapt and grow new brain cells regardless of your age.
Cognitive function
When cognitive function is improved so is quality of life. Being alert, attentive and thinking clearly help you to perform at a higher level and get things done faster and better. The time you spend exercising is made up for in greater efficiency and effectiveness for the rest of the day. The hippocampus, the brain area closely linked to learning and memory, is especially receptive to new neuron growth in response to exercise. After the age of 70 the size of the hippocampus shrinks by around one to three percent a year. Studies have shown that engaging in regular exercise can curb this shrinkage, meaning that active people stay sharper for longer. Exercise has also been proven to delay the onset of Alzheimers for people at risk, and it can slow the progress of the disease.
Stress management
Improving blood flow to the brain is just one of the many ways exercise supports cognitive function. Stress is a major inhibitor of clear thinking and exercise is a constructive way to manage it. Exercise moderates the negative effects of stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Over-secretion of these hormones affects all parts of the brain, in particular the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. The effect of stress on the hippocampus explains why you can be forgetful when you’re under prolonged pressure. Intense stress does more than just distract you from important tasks, it actually damages your memory too. Excessive stress hormones also hamper the work of the prefrontal cortex. This is the part of the brain responsible for judgment, understanding and impulse control. It’s another area of the brain you really want blood flow getting to!
Exercise is just as good for your brain as it is for your body. It seems that the smart people are exercising and the exercising people are smarter, not to mention happier.
Cognitive function
When cognitive function is improved so is quality of life. Being alert, attentive and thinking clearly help you to perform at a higher level and get things done faster and better. The time you spend exercising is made up for in greater efficiency and effectiveness for the rest of the day. The hippocampus, the brain area closely linked to learning and memory, is especially receptive to new neuron growth in response to exercise. After the age of 70 the size of the hippocampus shrinks by around one to three percent a year. Studies have shown that engaging in regular exercise can curb this shrinkage, meaning that active people stay sharper for longer. Exercise has also been proven to delay the onset of Alzheimers for people at risk, and it can slow the progress of the disease.
Stress management
Improving blood flow to the brain is just one of the many ways exercise supports cognitive function. Stress is a major inhibitor of clear thinking and exercise is a constructive way to manage it. Exercise moderates the negative effects of stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Over-secretion of these hormones affects all parts of the brain, in particular the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. The effect of stress on the hippocampus explains why you can be forgetful when you’re under prolonged pressure. Intense stress does more than just distract you from important tasks, it actually damages your memory too. Excessive stress hormones also hamper the work of the prefrontal cortex. This is the part of the brain responsible for judgment, understanding and impulse control. It’s another area of the brain you really want blood flow getting to!
Exercise is just as good for your brain as it is for your body. It seems that the smart people are exercising and the exercising people are smarter, not to mention happier.