Most people are aware of the many health benefits of incorporating fitness into your lifestyle. Fitness plays a key role in preventing many health conditions. It can also help manage many of the symptoms of the ones you currently have. I could write many articles on the different health conditions that are improved through living an active lifestyle. However, I plan to show here how fitness is not only good for the body but also improves the mind as well.
The Science behind it…
Many people report that they feel good once they begin a fitness routine. However, they may not fully understand that there is a very real scientific reason for these feelings. There are many different ways that exercise directly affects the brain. I will go over three of the most common ways below.
Blood Flow
First of all, when you begin exercising, your heart begins to pump faster. This immediately begins to send more blood throughout your body including your brain. Providing your brain with more blood helps it function more effectively. This is why people often report a feeling of energy or focus after exercising. When you continue to participate in this activity your heart muscle like all of the other muscles in your body begins to strengthen. When your heart becomes stronger it is able to pump more efficiently. This also increase the blood supply to your body and brain.
Hormones
Secondly, exercise or fitness causes your body to release, suppress and balance many hormones in your body. Many of these hormones can directly influence how well you think and feel. Some of the major hormones that are affected are Epinephrine / Norepinephrine, Insulin, Estrogen / Testosterone, Cortisol and Serotonin / Dopamine. This is just a short list of the many hormones that are affected when you begin to exercise. Many of these hormones control how you are feeling during the day. For example some of them control your mood, provide you with energy, affect your sleep quality, and affect how well you age.
Neuroscience
Third, new studies are showing that fitness improves the neuroplasticity and neurogenesis of the brain. These are two big words that mostly describe the brains ability to function, grow and repair itself. Neuroplasticity is the brains ability to change or react in response to a stimuli. Neurogenesis is the brains ability to create new neurons or connections within the brain to help it be more efficient. They have shown that incorporating fitness into your lifestyle helps the areas of the brain that control focus, memory, mood and balance.
What type of fitness should I focus on?
Both cardiovascular exercise and resistance training have both been shown to benefit the brain. They both should be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle. Flexibility training or a form of mind/body exercise such as yoga can also play key role in allowing the brain to rest and repair. I suggest finding a balance between all three types of fitness and try to develop a schedule that you can maintain. I also suggest adding new activities into your schedule. Exploring new ways to incorporate fitness into your life not only keeps you interested and motivated, it challenges your brain to focus and grow. Try a new exercise class, play a sport that you don’t regularly participate in, hike or run somewhere new or learn a new strength training routine. By switching up the ways you add exercise into your life you challenge your muscles, keep fitness interesting and keep your brain active.
