You know (or at least, you hope) that hitting the gym on a regular basis
can help deliver the
physical appearance you want. After all, exercising is associated with improved muscle strength and
tone, weight loss and maintenance, and better all-around physicality.
Additionally, it's no secret regular exercise is associated with better
heart health and lower risks of diseases, such as diabetes, arthritis,
osteoporosis and some cancers, too.
However, what should be shouted from the rooftops is how incredible exercising
can be for brain health. Engaging in exercise on a regular basis
can improve mental health, reduce age-related declines in cognition and stave off symptoms of dementia
and Alzheimer's disease. If you've been waiting around for a magic
pill to boost your brain function, it may be time to free your sneakers from
their hidey-hole and put them to good use.
How it works
One way that exercise and brain function are linked is also the reason
exercise is good for your cardiovascular system: It causes your heart
to pump harder and your lungs to intake more oxygen. This increased blood
flow and oxygen delivery to your brain can help "wake you up"
and stimulate the release of health-supporting hormones and chemicals
in your brain.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
"Exercise can improve brain health in myriad ways," said
Ryan Glatt, a fellow of Applied Functional Science and a personal trainer. Glatt
is also a brain health coach for the Pacific Neuroscience Institute at
Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.
"It can improve brain health at the micro-level by improving neurotransmitter
health, facilitating new connections between brain cells and increasing
the number of blood vessels," he added. "At a macro-level, exercise
can improve brain blood flow, improve the efficiency of brain activity,
and increase or maintain the volume of the brain and certain subregions
on the brain, such as the hippocampus, or the memory centers of the brain."
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