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| MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH |
We all of us know that exercise makes us feel better, but most of us
have no idea why. We assume it's because we're burning off body stress or boosting
endorphins that is very beneficial. In my opinion, this benefit is far
more important than what it does for the body.
Building muscles, conditioning the heart and lungs are essentially
side effects. The real point of the exercise is to build and condition the
brain. In today's technology-driven, plasma-screened world, it's easy to forget
that we were born to move.
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Nowadays we spend most of our time sitting behind a desk or lying
on the couch, and we have basically removed movement from our lives that is not good for the body. This has
become a norm in the past century, but we must remember that didn't evolve for
this type of sedentary lifestyle, we evolved as hunter-gatherers.
Our ancestors had to walk five to ten miles on an average day,
just to be able to eat that helps them to maintain their body. Since it takes tens of thousands of years for our
biology to evolve, you can see there's a huge mismatch between our lifestyle
and our genes.
Today we no longer hunt and gather and not only is that a problem,
but it poses one of the biggest threats to our continued survival. 65 percent
of America's adults are overweight or obese, and 10 percent of the population
has type 2 diabetes, a preventable disease that stems from inactivity and poor
nutrition.
We're literally killing ourselves, and it's problem throughout the
developed world. What's even more disturbing is that inactivity is killing our
brains, as well as physically shrinking them.
Now you might be thinking, why would our brain shrink if we don't
move as much. What we really need to ask ourselves, is why do we need a brain
at all. You might say that we have brains to come up with ideas or to analyze
different situations. But the answer is that only a mobile creature needs a
brain.
Benefits
Of Exercises
The brain's main purpose is to perform complex motor movements.
For example, a koala used to have a much bigger brain than it does now.
However, once it evolved its digestive system to survive on just eucalyptus
leaves, it meant that less movement was required.
Fewer complex movements, also meant less brain was needed, so the
koala's brain physically shrunk. This is important information because guess
who's running the show. Your brain. The brain isn't a fixed organ that can not
be changed.
Or in the koala's case, decrease in size. So guess what turns out
to be the best thing you can do for your brain today. That's right, physical
exercise. Particularly high-intensity aerobic exercise.
Going to the gym and lifting weights every 10 minutes, like many
powerlifters do, doesn't seem to have such a powerful impact, as high-intensity
exercise does.
Benefits
Of Powerlifting
Powerlifting still benefits the brain, don't me wrong, but to reap
all the benefits, you need to get your heart rate, up to 80% of its maximum
beats per minute. So what exactly are those brain benefits I speak of?
Well, besides preventing your brain from shrinking you can expect
an improved ability to learn and absorb new information. It's been shown that
students with higher fitness scores also have higher test scores.
Exercise also decreases depression and relieves stress. It even
helps prevent cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. If you're a woman, you
can expect fewer mood swings.
However, it sadly does not have such powerful marketing as some
prescription pills do. Plus you have to put in the effort and that'snot quite
as appealing. But it's simply one of the best treatments we have for a lot of
psychiatric problems.
Old Is
Gold
Dr. John Ratey, the author of the book "Spark," says
that exercise is like taking a little bit of Prozac and a little bit of
Ritalin. For those who don't know Prozac is an antidepressant and Ritalin is
used for treating patients with ADHD. It's already well known that exercise
increases levels of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine.
All are important neurotransmitters that affect thoughts and
emotions. The drugs that just increase neurotransmitters, can leave you with
many side effects. But when you exercise, your brain will not just increase the
neurotransmitters, but it will also balance them.
It's no secret that some women get crazy mood swings when it's
their time of the month. But really it's not their fault, as their hormones are
out of balance. Exercise will help tone down the negative consequences of
hormonal changes and for others, it will enhance the positive ones.
But overall exercise has the most profound effect on learning.
Right now the front of your brain is firing signals about what you're reading
and listening to, and how much of it you soak up has a lot to do with whether
there is a proper balance of neurochemicals and growth factors to bind neurons
together.
If you had half an hour of exercise this morning, you're in the right frame of mind to sit still and focus on this article and your brain is
far more equipped to remember more of it.
A 2007 study found that people learn vocabulary words 20 percent
faster after they exercise, compared to when they remain sedentary. This is all
thanks to a protein called brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor also known as
BDNF.
Brain-Derived
Neurotrophic Factor
BDNF nourishes brain cells and makes them grow. Just like a plant
fertilizer supports plant growth, BDNF acts as a brain fertilizer. A 2013 study
showed that just 20 to 40 minutes of aerobic exercise increased BDNF in the
blood by 32%.
This makes perfect sense in light of evolution. If we go back to
our example of ancestors, the only reason we need an ability to learn is for
the sake of survival. Basically to find food and shelter, or to remember which
animals to avoid.
Back in the day whenever we moved, it meant something important
was going on. We had to escape from a predator or remember the path we took so
we didn't get lost. However, when we were resting, it meant nothing important
was going on.
We still have this ancient mechanism, so as far as our brains are
concerned, if we're not moving, there's no reason to learn or remember
anything. If you have an important exam coming up, you might want to take a run
in the park before hitting the books. The boost of BDNF will help you absorb
and retain more information.
As I've mentioned before, exercise has the ability to reduce a lot
of our problems and release stress. But even if you don't have any issues and you think you're
feeling great, there are still areas that can be improved. You can feel better
than ever and learn faster than ever.
If you imagine for a moment your life as a video game, you could
consider exercise as a cheat code. But how can we get the best results with the
least amount of time invested?
Like I said, high-intensity aerobic exercise is the best way to
go. This involves running, jumping rope, anything to get your heart rate up all
the way to 80% of its maximum rate.
It's even better if the activity involves some complex motor
movements, and it's not just putting one foot after the other. Good examples
are tennis and dancing.
Daily
Exercise Helps A lot
The optimal daily dose of exercise seems to be20 to 40 minutes in
the morning. For many people, the whole day benefits last, but for the
majority, they seem to last about 2-4 hours. This is why it might be a better
idea to break it down into smaller segments.
So let's say you do 20 minutes of your core exercise in the
morning and also in the evening 2 times for 5 minutes throughout the day. This way
you can extend the benefits. If you currently live a more sedentary lifestyle
it's better to slowly build up to those times. 40 minutes is just a
recommendation and not a requirement.
It's up to you to find your optimal dose, depending on your
schedule and personal needs. All this information about the brain and
exercise was found in John Ratey's book "Spark" (a famous writer). If you enjoyed the
article and would like to learn more about this topic, you should check out the
book.
Conclusion
When I wake up I always go for a run or use a jump rope to get my
heart rate up and prime myself for the day. I feel more energy, less stress and
I can tackle more information with less strain.
Thanks bro
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