While it’s well known that exercise has many benefits, the good news is that you don’t have to engage in high-intensity exercise to reap the mental health benefits.
According to a new to study, the effects of physical activity on brain volume were more pronounced at low levels of physical activity. The study authors note that simply walking 15 minutes a day or taking the stairs instead of the elevator can have a positive impact on the brain. The results suggest that making small changes like this and getting moderate exercise will do wonders when it comes to keeping your mind sharp.
The connection between brain health and exercise
Physical activity is beneficial for overall health, including cognitive function.
“You are a genetic engineer, and what you do changes which genes are turned on or off in your body,” he says. Dr Michael Roizen, director of wellness emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic, founder of the Reboot Your Age app, and author of The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow. “Physical activity that stresses the muscles is not only good for the heart, blood vessels, or muscles, but it also activates a gene in the muscles that produces irisin that crosses the blood-brain barrier and increases the size and connections of the brain’s brain. brain memory.
Therefore, regularly doing the physical activity that you like (if you don’t like walking, you can play with your children or grandchildren, be it ping pong or whatever you like to do) reduces stress, increases metabolism and improves heart function and pulmonary.
Yet possibly the most underrated benefit of physical exercise physical aptitude it’s its impact on brain health, adds Dr. Roizen. When an individual engages in consistent physical activity, research shows that the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory, benefits and improves cognition.
Related: Need more motivation to exercise? Here are six mental benefits
John Gardner, co-founder and CEO of Kick offsays that one of the easiest methods to add exercise to your daily routine is to perform daily tasks in a healthier way.
“This can include taking the stairs instead of the elevator, cycling to work, or even shopping on foot. This helps ensure that you fit physical activity into your daily routine without having to spend time and energy exercising,” says Gardner.
You can also walk and talk.
Another great tip that can be really easy to follow is pacing while on the phone or during virtual meetings.
Instead of sitting in front of a screen or at a desk during a meeting, you can take a call or virtual meeting on a mobile device and walk around during the meeting, says Gardner. He will be surprised to discover that he has taken more than 10,000 steps per day and that he managed to add them during his workday without extra effort.
Strategies to improve your cognitive function
Here’s what Dr. Roizen recommends to positively impact your brain health:
Get at least 10,000 daily steps or the equivalent
The equivalent is about one minute of physical activity, such as riding a bike, which equals 100 steps. Research shows that sedentary people age 55 and older with difficulty concentrating, making decisions, or remembering can turn back the clock about nine years by doing aerobic exercise, such as walking or cycling, for 35 minutes three times a week. So get moving!
Incorporate vigorous activity that will get your heart rate up
Adding more intense workouts helps turn on that gene that produces irisin, which then releases a protein called BDNF, a brain-derived neurotrophic factor that grows the hippocampus. To my older friends, slowly build cardio into your fitness plan and work with your doctor to find what might work for you.
cardio exercise
This includes runswimming or bicycling, with enough intensity to raise your heart rate three times a week for 20 minutes to at least 80 percent of your age-adjusted maximum heart rate (approximately 220 minus your age for both men and women) has shown to decrease disability, dementia and even death.
But physical activity isn’t the only thing you can do for good brain health.
Mental games
Spend five to ten minutes a day playing games to challenge your mind. When the brain is constantly working on strategy, logic, and puzzles, whether through exercise or the processing speed of mind games, it encourages the growth of neurons, connections, and the hippocampus.
Next: Eight Memory-Boosting Tricks to Boost Your Recovery
Sources
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Neurology: “Association between accelerometer-derived physical activity measurements and brain structure”
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Dr Michael RoizenDirector of Wellness Emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic, founder of the Reboot Your Age app, and author of The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow
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John Gardnerco-founder and CEO of Kick off
