I don’t know about you, but when I’m down, I tend to put my head down and dig deeper. For example, if I’m having trouble concentrating at work, I try to force myself to finish the task at hand, rather than getting up to clear my head with a walk or a few minutes of yoga. When I’m feeling cranky, the last thing I want to do is exercise, even though I know getting my heart pumping and endorphins flowing will make me feel better. Exercising long enough to make a difference always sounds like a chore. Who has time to drop what they’re doing and break a sweat? Turns out most of us do. A recent study found that running for 10 minutes stimulates the brain, improves executive functioning and the ability to feel pleasure.
running and your brain
The small-scale study, involving just 26 participants and conducted at the University of Tsukuba in Japan and published in scientific reports Last November, he looked at the effects of running for 10 minutes on a treadmill. Participants self-reported their mood states using the Two-dimensional mood scale before and after running.
The results? Two of the study’s authors, Chorphaka Damrongthai and Hideaki Soya, saying Today’s medical news who were “surprised” to find that running for 10 minutes “improves not only executive function but also pleasant mood that coincides with bilateral prefrontal activation.” (Executive function, simply put, is the ability to plan, think, pay attention, remember instructions, and get things done.)
Scientists believe that running, even moderately and even for a few minutes, helps improve mood and executive functioning in several ways. First, it increases brain activity by increasing circulation. Running also helps activate the prefrontal cortex of the brain (the part of the brain that controls cognitive functions such as attention, impulsiveness, and memory), as it has to process a lot of information when we run. (Think about coordinating steps, balance, and breathing.) The up and down movement of our head as we run it can also activate serotonin receptors in our brainhelping to further improve our mood.
No more excuses
While this study is certainly not conclusive—on the one hand, it was too small, and participants measured their own moods and ability to focus—on the other hand, its findings are encouraging. But unless you’re suffering from an injury or have a condition that makes running dangerous for you, what’s the harm in trying it?
I usually run in the morning before work, and when I go to bed at night, I do a calculation in my head: Do I have time to run tomorrow? How many hours of sleep can I get and how many miles can I run, once you factor in time to feed the cats and make coffee, change into running clothes, shower afterward, and look presentable for the day? Too often my answer is noI don’t have time to run. But running for 10 minutes? I always have time for that, and I can even do it during my lunch hour.
Knowing that a run doesn’t have to be five miles (or even a mile!) to “count” makes it much more likely that I’ll venture out and take a few steps, even if it’s just a moderate 10-minute run. That’s enough to snap me out of my slump and get my brain working again, so excuse me while I lace up. my running shoes!
