Cognitive Benefits of Exercise

Your Brain on Exercise

Boost your memory, score higher grades, and ward off dementia—the same workouts that get your body into top shape can help keep your brain fit, too
By Hollis Templeton fitbie
 

8 Brain-Boosting Benefits of Exercise

Your Brain on Exercise // woman working out © Thinkstock

Image: Thinkstock

You’re a smart cookie when it comes to your health, so you know that regular exercise is one of the best ways to cut your risk of disease, boost your immune system, and maintain a trim body. But flat abs, bigger biceps, and fewer colds are just the beginning. Mounting research suggests that regular sweat sessions can help keep your brain fit, too.

Science shows us that aerobic activity can improve mental processes such as planning, multitasking, focusing without getting distracted, and making and remembering associations (e.g., banking away the name and face of a new acquaintance or remembering where you left your keys), says Michelle Voss, PhD, a researcher in the department of psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

“So far, there is the most support for light aerobic exercise, like walking three times a week for 45 minutes to an hour,” says Voss, adding that according to research, resistance training two times a week also may enhance brain function.

Voss and her colleagues recently examined 111 human and animal studies on the long-term cognitive benefits of cardio and strength-training workouts. In their review article, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, the researchers conclude that exercise helps us maintain brain and cognitive health throughout life. Animal studies suggest that aerobic exercise increases levels of brain chemicals that protect nerve cells from damage as well as boost the function of mitochondria—the source of energy within cells—giving your noggin more power to create energy to fuel brain activity, says Voss.

The researchers note that more studies are needed in order to understand how specific aspects of exercise influence brain physiology and function in humans, but there’s still plenty of evidence that physical activity can make you a better student, help you be more productive at work, and keep you sharp as a tack later in life. Read on to discover eight tangible brain-boosting perks you can reap from regular exercise.

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