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 the brain. This means that oxygen and nutrients can get to where they need to be. Exercise benefits your brain in five ways.
The first brain benefit is greater cognitive function. You can set goals, make plans and organize yourself to achieve them. Being alert and attentive help you to perform at a higher level. You can process your tasks with speed and accuracy, avoiding the careless errors you make when your brain feels sluggish. The time you spend exercising comes back to you via greater general efficiency and effectiveness.
The second brain benefit is enhanced memory and learning ability. 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.
The third brain benefit is improved willpower. Exercise improves all areas of executive function including inhibition control, which makes it easier to discipline yourself to do the things you want to do, such as continue to exercise. In addition to this, our habits tend to form in clusters. When you’re exercising regularly you’re more likely to want to eat well and get adequate rest. This upward spiral helps you achieve more in every area, from your professional life to your parenting.
The forth brain benefit is better stress management. 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. This explains why you can be forgetful when under prolonged pressure. Excessive stress hormones also hamper the work of the prefrontal cortex, damaging your judgement and impulse control. Stress feeds on itself to put you into a downwards spiral. Exercise can help reverse this spiral, starting with hormonal assistance and leading on to support you in restoring order to your life.
The fifth brain benefit is improved emotional state. Exercise promotes the release of endorphins, the happy hormones that promote feelings of wellbeing. It lifts your mood and lowers anxiety levels. A good workout tires you out, improving quality and quantity of sleep. Being in good general health gives you a sense of wellbeing and vitality. Maintaining a healthy weight gives you pride and confidence. These benefits put you in a more resourceful state to handle challenges of every kind.
All physical activity helps the brain by increasing circulation but you can get extra benefits from different types of movement. Any exercise that requires you to learn a new skill will activate new patterns of brain activity. More synaptic connections will be made when you’re testing your co-ordination so it’s important to change up your routine for continual challenge. Yoga offers extra benefits by turning on the body’s relaxation response. Regular practice can improve the operation of the amygdala, a deep brain structure which processes stress, fear and anxiety. If you’re under pressure and battling a heavy cognitive load the best exercise for you will be the type you enjoy most.
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. It’s all happening at Les Mills Takapuna – come and join us!
