27/09/2021
In a study done at the University of British Columbia, researchers found that regular aerobic exercise (the kind that gets your heart and your sweat glands pumping) appears to boost the size of the hippocampus, the brain area involved in verbal memory and learning. 🚴🏼♂️
Resistance training, balance and muscle toning exercises did not have the same results.
Exercise helps memory and thinking through both direct and indirect means.
The benefits of exercise come directly from its ability to reduce insulin resistance, reduce inflammation, and stimulate the release of growth factors—chemicals in the brain that affect the health of brain cells, the growth of new blood vessels in the brain, and even the abundance and survival of new brain cells.
Indirectly, exercise improves mood and sleep, and reduces stress and anxiety. Problems in these areas frequently cause or contribute to cognitive impairment.
How much exercise is required to improve memory?
These study participants walked briskly for one hour, twice a week. That’s 120 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week. Standard recommendations advise half an hour of moderate physical activity most days of the week, or 150 minutes a week.
If that seems daunting, start with a few minutes a day, and increase the amount you exercise by five or 10 minutes every week until you reach your goal.
If you don’t want to walk, consider other moderate-intensity exercises, such as swimming, tennis, squash, or dancing.
Don’t forget that household activities can count as well, such as intense floor mopping, raking leaves, or anything that gets your heart pumping so much that you break out in a light sweat.
-Extract taken from Harvard Health Letter
