Exercise doesn't simply provide benefits to your physique, it's also good for your brain. According to the Franklin Institute, regular physical exercise improves the higher brain functions, such as memory, and executive functions, such as self-control, organization and planning. Additionally, exercise may help improve cognition and prevent age-related cognitive decline, according to a 2006 study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam.
Increased Cognitive Abilities
In 2006, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam conducted a study on the effects of exercise and cognitive function on both sedentary and physically active people. Study participants ranged in age from 15 to 71. The study demonstrated improved reaction time and response accuracy in physically active subjects as opposed to sedentary participants. Additionally, a 2008 Mayo Clinic study found that exercise may help offset mild cognitive impairment.
Reduced Emotional Stress
When you experience stress, your sympathetic nervous system is activated. According to Ernesto A. Randolfi, Ph.D, author and professor at Montana State University-Billings, around 1,500 biochemical reactions occur during stress, including neurotransmitter production, hormone secretion and nutrient metabolism. Your brain reacts to stress with a "fight-or-flight" instinct, also known as the stress response. According to Randolfi, exercise provides a method for releasing the stress from the "fight-or-flight" instinct by simulating the running or fleeing from the stressful response. Exercise helps remove the harmful byproducts of stress, such as the oversecretion of the hormone cortisol, which can have a negative effect on your nervous and immune systems.
Improved Mental Health
Exercise boosts your mental health, because it promotes your brain's production and secretion of endorphins, the "feel-good" neurotransmitters that help produce "runner's high." According to a 2001 study by Duke University researchers, regular aerobic exercise can also help alleviate mild to moderate depression and anxiety and improve cognitive functioning in middle-aged to elderly patients. The study showed that exercise had a positive effect on the frontal and prefrontal parts of the brain. Although it's not entirely clear why this occurs, the researchers think that it may be due to increased blood flow and oxygen delivery to these parts of the brain. Decreased cognitive ability in the elderly may be correlated with blood flow reduction to the brain.
Better Pain Tolerance
Exercise improves your brain's ability to tolerate pain, according to author and psychologist Tim Sams in his book, "ABC's of Pain Relief and Treatment: Advances, Breakthroughs, and Choices." Exercise stimulates the production of serotonin and enkephalins, endorphins that are produced by your brain and act as natural painkillers. The more of these chemicals you have in your body, the less pain you will experience.
References
- Science Daily: Exercise Appears to Improve Brain Function Among Younger People
- Franklin Institute: The Human Brain: Exercise
- Duke University: Aerobic Exercise Improves Cognitive Function
- Mayo Clinic: Mayo Clinic Finds Exercise Can Reduce the Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment
- Ernesto A. Randolfi, Ph.D: Exercise as a Stress Management Modality
- "ABC's of Pain Relief and Treatment: Advances, Breakthroughs, and Choices"; Tim Sams, Ph.D; 2006
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