A new study reported from the University of California – Irvine in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed that even a brief amount of exercise improves the brain. It is well known that prolonged exercise has benefits from the heart to the brain. Exercise improves circulation and helps to reduce the effects of aging. Animal studies have shown that exercise increases the formation of new cells in the hippocampal region of the brain. This region is essential for memory creation and storage. Unfortunately, what works in animals is not necessarily true in humans.
Your Brain on Exercise
The twist in this study was whether a memory type of activity could be improved by participating in a low grade exercise. The subjects chosen were the usual paid college student (eager victims with minimal chance of other medical issues), and they were first asked to perform a computerized memory test. They were then sat on an exercise bike for ten minutes and either asked to do nothing (the control group) or slowly pedal in order to increase the heart rate by 30% for ten minutes.
After either the rest or exercise, the memory test was repeated. Interestingly, the light exercise group showed a clear improvement in memory tasks. The reason for the immediate boost in memory ability is not clear. The main theory is that the light exercise improved blood flow to the brain and hormone levels may have been involved.
The main message is that light exercise is beneficial to the brain and memory. Light exercise can be walking or many other types of activities. The exercise does not need to be intense, and it does not need to be prolonged. Daily exercise for ten minutes at a time appears to be beneficial to the brain. As we get older, we need to keep the brain healthy. It is important to exercise and even the simple things from walking to things like yoga or tai chi move the body and improve the brain.
Son if you find yourself with 10-15 minutes of free time throughout the day, try to do something active and stimulate your brain!