The brain benefits of exercise
Not only is exercise a key component of physical health, it also plays an important role in mental health. Exercise is widely known to aid in weight management, strength of bones and muscles, and chronic disease prevention. It is less commonly accredited for its benefits to brain health. The brain can benefit immensely from regular exercise and greatly improve how you feel mentally. Listed below are some of the benefits of exercise on the brain. Please refer to the sources utilized via embedded links.
Memory Improvement
Exercise has been shown to be related to neurogenesis, the stimulation of new neurons in the brain. Specifically, exercise is related neurogenesis in the hippocampus, which is the region of the brain associated with memory and learning.
Aerobic exercise training has been shown to lead to an increase in hippocampus volume later in life, positively impacting memory.
Stress Reduction
The release of endorphins while exercising act as mood elevators helping to moderate stress responses.
One study found that regular exercisers have significantly lower heart rates and may be more resistant to acute stress.
Exercise has also been shown to improve sleep, further contributing to stress reduction.
Mood Enhancement
Research reports exercise to have mood enhancing effects. Increased endorphin levels during exercise stimulate feelings of happiness.
Because emotions act as guides for future behaviors, the positive emotions associated with exercise encourage exercising more in the future.
Additionally, there can be a greater sense of accomplishment and self confidence associated with regular exercise, overall promoting more positive emotions.
Cognitive Benefits
Physical activity can be preventative against cognitive decline. The trends reveal an increase in cognitive decline amongst adults in the United States, while there is a decrease in physical activity levels. Cognitive decline has been shown to be greater in those who are inactive.
Physical activity also helps to lower inflammation in the body, which can protect against neurological conditions linked to chronic inflammation such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
A Final Note
The benefits of exercise on the brain include, but are not limited to the topics covered in this post: memory improvement, stress reduction, mood enhancement and cognitive benefits. Physical activity is a crucial component to overall health and well-being, involving more than solely physical health. The brain benefits of regular exercise are something to take note of. Please refer to the sources utilized via embedded links.
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