Exercise makes you thinner and does all sorts of other stuff.
But who cares about that because it makes your brain stronger too!
Hey guys, Trace here for DNews.
We all know that exercise is good for us.
Getting off the couch and onto the treadmill strengthens our muscles, increases blood flow,
gives us energy and, of course, burns fat, so that we can ACTUALLY fit into those skinny
jeans.
For most people, this is more than enough incentive to hit the gym.
But, for some of us, particularly those stay-home-and-read types, those of us who are less sporty, health
and fitness alone just isn’t enough reason to slap on the spandex.
But here's another benefit: exercise could also strengthen your Brain - particularly
your memory!
A new study out of Radboud University in the Netherlands gathered three groups of random
participants and asked each to look at the same set of images.
The first group did a somewhat-strenuous, 35-minute workout immediately after.
The second group did the same exercise four hours later, and the third didn’t exercise
at all (yay control!)
Two days later, all the participants retook the image test, and those in the second group
who had a four-hour delay were able to recall the the most images.
This suggests that regular exercise may improve long-term memory, that is, the ability the
recall anything from more than just a few minutes ago.
The catch?
The exercise must happen around the time the memory is formed.
According to researchers, this is because when you work out, your Brain releases neurotransmitters
like dopamine and noradrenaline that help your Brain consolidate memories.
If these chemicals are absent when your Brain absorbs information, that information is thought
to decay more rapidly.
This suggests that regular exercise may improve long-term memory, that is, the ability the
recall anything from more than just a few minutes ago.
But here’s where things get tricky.
The participants in that first group (who worked-out immediately after the test) recalled
about the same number of images as those who didn’t work-out at all.
This means that your ability to remember things depends not just on IF you work out but WHEN
you work out.
That is, a short delay between the moment your Brain logs the information and when you
get on the treadmill could be crucial to your ability to recall that information.
Of course, more research is needed, so scientists can’t yet say for sure whether delayed exercise
leads to better memory.
But, when it comes to exercise as a direct cause of increased cognitive ability, scientists
are pretty much in agreement that it does!
This is because exercise releases hormones that reduce inflammation and insulin resistance,
as well as stimulating the growth of cells and blood vessels in your Brain, making it,
in a sense, stronger.
Some studies have even suggested that the parts of the Brain that control your memory
- the prefrontal cortex and the medial temporal cortex - are larger in people who regularly
exercise.
The best part about it?
You can just be same old lazy you, apart from just two hours of moderate exercise a week.
Two hours a week!
That could mean walking your dog for a half-hour every other day, riding your bike to work,
or playing 18-holes on the weekend.
Harvard researchers even count household activities, like raking leaves or “intense floor mopping”.
Seriously.
That's a quote.
Basically, as long as you break out in a light sweat - it’s exercise!
And the key to unlocking these benefits - at least in a long-term sense - is regularity.
To do that, fitness-experts recommend group fitness classes or personal trainers, because
you’re more likely to follow an exercise regime that is scheduled.
When exercise becomes routine, your memory strengthens, and soon enough, “forgetting
to workout” will no longer be a viable excuse.
You know what's not exercise?
Sex.
Sorry, every human ever.
If you want to know why, check out this video here.