8 Ways Exercise Gives You a Better Brain

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We all know that exercise is good for us. It helps us lose weight, stave off degenerative diseases, and maintain our physical abilities well into old age. Primitive man, out of necessity, engaged in the ever-present tasks of hunting and gathering, but soon after the advent of agriculture—which made greater periods of rest possible, for the first time—it became clear that exercise must remain a part of our lives. There is evidence of recorded exercise routines as early as 2500 B.C., in the form of Cong Fu gymnastics in ancient China, which was prescribed to ward off certain diseases. The benefits of purposeful movement for our bodies have been known for thousands of years.

Today, though, sedentary lifestyles are more prevalent than ever. For many of us, both work and play involve sitting at a desk for hours at a time—we spend eight hours at a desk at work, and then make our way to our couches or desks or beds at home to relax. As mechanical automation becomes more sophisticated and prevalent, our physical workloads will continue to grow less, and our bodies, more neglected. For many, exercise is simply not a part of life—particularly for those who work exclusively with their minds, rather than with their bodies.

But what if I told you that exercise not only strengthens your body, but your mind as well? Progress in medical research has confirmed that the brain is as affected by exercise as any muscle—it is as important for thinking as it is for lifting, especially as we age. Read on to discover 8 ways exercise gives you a better brain, and find the motivation to stay in shape, no matter what type of work you do.

It Enhances Learning

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In our information-driven age, it behooves us to be quick learners. To put it simply, learning and the formation of memories occur when the brain weakens or strengthens the connections between brain cells. When two cells interact frequently, the connection between them grows stronger. The stronger the connection becomes, the more quickly and accurately they can transmit information between one another, allowing us to perform a certain task with greater skill.

Doctor John Ratey, author of “A User’s Guide to the Brain,” writes that aerobic exercise causes the brain to produce something called “brain-derived neurotrophic factor” (BDNF), a protein which enhances the ability to learn by greatly encouraging the formation of new connections. The research into BDNF provides a direct link between cognitive ability and movement—people who stay fit are more likely to be efficient learners because their brains form connections more easily.

The inverse is also true. A sedentary lifestyle produces a sedentary brain—if the body doesn’t move, the brain seemingly sees no point in learning. The entire body develops best as a whole, so if you’re having trouble learning that new language, or if your memory has become spotty, give daily walking or jogging a try. You just might learn it twenty percent faster, according to a 2007 German study.

It Reduces Inflammation

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Inflammation, the body’s response to stress or injury which normally shuts down after healing is done, is responsible for a number of symptoms, including grogginess, poor memory, the inability to focus, stuttering, and slowness of thought. These symptoms occur because the immune responses involved in inflammation can shut down energy production in brain cells, causing the aforementioned cognitive symptoms.

Exercise reduces inflammation. Mark Hamer, an epidemiologist at University College London, writes that “regardless of BMI or weight, study participants who completed 2.5 hours of moderate exercise each week…lowered their markers of inflammation by at least 12 percent” in a study his team conducted.

How does this work? During exercise, muscles release cytokines, which are a type of protein molecule that can reduce inflammation. Doctor Hamer recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day to achieve this benefit.

Stress also causes the body to enter a state of inflammation, but exercises acts here, as well, as we will see on the next page.

It Reduces Stress

Alongside sleeping well and eating a balanced diet, exercise is one of the best ways to manage stress—something we all deal with in our lives. Focusing on a single task for a long period of time can be relaxing after a day of confusion and multitasking, especially if you find a form of exercise which makes you particularly happy, such as engaging in a sport or walking in a beautiful area.

By helping to improve sleep, stabilize mood, and even improve self-image, exercise helps to relieve overall levels of tension and anxiety. Those same endorphins which produce a rush of pleasure after exercise also help to reduce stress and encourage quality sleep—which, in turn, reduces inflammation. We can see, now, how many of the benefits of exercise work in tandem; exercise affects a wide variety of functions, like sleep, which, in turn, work to improve the brain further.

It Helps More Oxygen to Reach the Brain

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Your brain requires a large amount of oxygenated blood to function—in fact, it uses about 20 percent of the oxygen in your body! With the brain consuming that much oxygen, it’s no wonder, then, that exercise related increases in brain oxygenation levels result in an increase in alertness and cognitive function for several hours afterward. For example, a walk or jog before work can often have the same results as a cup of coffee in the morning.

Greater cardiac health, a result of aerobic activity, provides greater oxygenation on a more permanent basis. The more efficiently the heart pumps, the greater the supply of oxygen that regularly reaches the brain, producing a feeling of greater clarity.

Regular activity works to increase quality blood flow to all regions of the body, and can also result in an increase in the number of “tiny blood vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood to the region of the brain responsible for thought.” Far more than a temporary spike in alertness, this results in a measurable and long-term improvement to cognitive ability. Again, we find that activity promotes improvement within the brain—with a greater supply of oxygen-rich blood to support its development, there’s no limit to what the brain can do.

It Stimulates the Growth of Brain Cells

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For decades, it was thought to be common knowledge that once a brain matures, it has all of the brain cells it will ever have—no more are grown. Through advances in medical research, this has been found to be untrue. The brain is not set in stone—it changes throughout its lifetime.

The process of neurogenesis—the formation of new brain cells—is stimulated by aerobic exercise. According to a 2016 study published in Science Daily, rats that exercised had “2-3 times more hippocampal neurons at the end of the experiment” than sedentary ones. This increase in neurons in the hippocampus is important—it improves the ability to learn.

With exercise being tied so closely to learning, and having so many different ties to neurogenesis and the formation of new memories, aerobic activity can be especially important for students. Go for that 30 minutes walk or run at least three times a week, and you may see your work begin to improve!

It Enhances Brain Plasticity

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The brain is wired to increase its alertness in the presence of new environments and conditions, and exercise activates this. Our brains are plastic—not in the sense of the material, plastic, but in the sense that it is malleable and changeable. There are many ways to influence the brain’s plasticity to do things like break bad habits or learn new skills, and exercise is one of them.

The brain always sees physical activity as a novel experience, which activates the part of the brain that accesses the unknown for potential benefits or threats. This increases the strength of memories formed—try going for a run and then memorizing something. You’ll find that it’s easier than normal. That’s because your brain is on the alert, soaking up every detail and storing it away.

Exercise also enhances plasticity through the structural improvements we’ve discussed—the formation of new blood vessels, greater oxygenation, and neurogenesis all work in tandem to enhance the brain’s ability to adapt and change.

It's a Natural Antidepressant

Exercise works on mood in two ways: it balances chemicals in the brain, and it produces endorphins. Exercise is often prescribed by counselors before medication is—regular aerobic activity is known to be extremely effective as an antidepressant, when patients can find the motivation to do so. A study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that a group depressed adults who regularly exercised improved as much as another group on antidepressants. These findings have been confirmed time and again in subsequent studies. Exercise, particularly aerobic activity, is thought to enhance the body’s production of norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter that stabilizes mood.

Not only this, but exercise also releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers that are responsible for the “runners high.” They create a feeling of pleasure during and after exercise that can last throughout the day.

If you’re feeling down or lacking in energy, give aerobic exercise a try. With its proven record of boosting the mood, it’s likely that you’ll be feeling better within days. Even if you’re already on an antidepressant, try supplementing your medication with exercise after talking to your doctor. The great results may surprise you.

It Wards Off Neurological Disease

Diseases like diabetes and Alzheimer’s can wreak havoc on the brain. Exercise works in several ways to prevent the conditions which make disease more likely. Lessened inflammation, greater insulin sensitivity, and better cardiovascular health are all results of regular aerobic exercise—these are three of the greatest risk factors for neurological diseases. A simple 150 minutes of light exercise a week, like walking, can result in greatly lessened likelihood of neurological disease.

Sometimes, however, disease strikes despite the best preparations, and exercise can also help deal with this. Alzheimer’s disease causes a withering of certain areas of the brain, but exercise—you guessed it—can stave this off, keeping the brain healthier for longer. Laura Baker, of Wake Forest School of Medicine, writes that “Levels of tau, a protein associated with Alzheimer’s, fell in those who exercised vigorously.” Exercise, currently, is one of the best protections, and could possibly be one of the best, current treatments for Alzheimer’s.

We're Meant to Move

From the beginning, our bodies were meant for movement, something contemporary life does not encourage. We’re seeing the effects of this in a surge of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. The mental effects of this lifestyle, however, are only recently beginning to become clear. Do you know how much cognitive ability you may be sacrificing for a sedentary life?

With so much to gain, it makes sense to step away from the desk, for as little as 30 minutes a day, and go for a walk or a jog, or a game of tennis. Be creative! Anything that gets your heart rate up and keeps it there is aerobic exercise. Do this regularly, and you may even grow to like it. Your brain will thank you!