Did you know that physical exercise is good for your brain?
If only my immigrant parents had learned this when I was growing up, maybe I would have been allowed to run around outside more rather than being stuck indoors studying.
But I digress.
According to studies, at about age 40, we lose five percent of our overall brain volume per decade. Yikes. I don't know about you, but at this point I can't afford to lose any brain power and I'm well on my way to 40.
The exciting thing about fitness is that you can actually slow this down with physical activity. Here's a short list of the benefits of exercise for your brain:
Exercise can: increase blood volume, spark connection and grown among your brain's cell networks, and encourage neuronal activity and neurogenesis.
I highly recommend the Ted Talk by Wendy Suzuki for a really great summary of the effects of exercise on your brain. Among the things she talks about are the protective benefits of exercise against degenerative diseases like dementia and Alzheimer's.
We aren't talking about running marathons every day or intense Crossfit sessions either. Just 30 minutes a day, 3-4 days a week, of aerobic exercise (i.e. getting your heartrate up) can get you the benefits we're talking about.
It's not too late to start, either. Suzuki talks about the immediate benefits of exercise on the brain, and this study on sedentary adults ages 60-79 found that those with improved fitness had an increase in brain volume (seen through MRI scans).
The bottom line is that we are beings made to move. Even your big brain will thank you for it.
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