I have written about the benefits of physical exercise on your brain and on your mental well being in past posts. However, exercise is in the news again with an excellent article in Time Magazine for September 12, 2016 by Mandy Oaklander titled "The New Science of Exercise". In that article, the author reviews how physical activity strengthens the body and brain.
Current guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend that most adults do 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity and twice-weekly muscle strengthening. As pointed out in the article, many activities count such as brisk walking, gardening, walking the dog, etc. Many people are aware of cardiovascular training but are less aware of the need for muscle strengthening as we age. That strength training helps build muscle and bone, which protects against injury. But you say that you don't like lifting weights. Don't worry. You can do other strengthening forms of exercise such as yoga, tai chi, and Pilates.
Now here's the bad news as outlined in the article. Only 20% of Americans get the requisite 150 minutes per week, more than half of all baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) report doing no exercise at all, and over 80 million Americans over age 6 are completely inactive from an exercise perspective. We have heard the consequences of this inactivity and they are not good. People with very low levels of physical activity are at higher risk for a variety of diseases to include heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer's Disease. Prior to development of these diseases, your inactivity can make worse arthritis symptoms, increase lower back pain, and lead to depression and anxiety.
So what can be said about your brain and exercise? In the Time Magazine article referenced, the author reviewed some of what is known about the effect of exercise on your brain. There is research linking exercise to reduced depression, better memory, and increased learning. Exercise is one of the better ways to prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's Disease. In other posts, I noted several promising lines of research. For example, in CNN Health News, author Morgan Manella noted recent studies showing that higher levels of physical fitness in middle-aged adults were associated with larger brain volumes five years later, particularly in brain areas having to do with memory such as the hippocampus (Kilgore, Olsen and Weber, 2013, Scientific Reports). In a study published this year in the online journal Neurology (Wiley et al), the authors found that older people who exercised regularly experienced a slower rate of mental decline.
Why does exercise affect brain structure and function for the better? While scientists are not completely sure, it has been shown that exercise improves blood flow to the brain, feeding the growth of new blood vessels and even new brain cells. This is considered due to the effect of the protein BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor). BDNF stimulates the growth of new neurons and repairs and protects brain cells from degeneration. This is exciting because for so many decades it was thought that when brain cells (neurons) die, that's the end. However, we are learning so much about how you can preserve and increase your brain functioning through exercise. By the way, speaking of preservation, there is research showing that moderate intensity exercise may slow down the aging process of cells.
So what are you waiting for? Lace up those athletic shoes and get going. Take a brisk walk, get out into the garden, get some light weights or find other strengthening strategies outlined above. These will help preserve your brain, improve your mood, and reduce your anxiety and perceived stress. If you haven't been active in quite some time, consult your primary care physician as to an appropriate level of exercise at which to begin. As always, don't let mind clutter get in your way such as "I'm too old", "I have no time", or "It's too late". These are all falsehoods you tell yourself and convince yourself are true. Challenge them and get on with improving your health and well being. Good luck on your journey.
Dr. Paul Longobardi
For more information on these and related topics, please visit my website at www.successandmindset.com.