Exercise; a love letter to your brain

When people think of reasons to exercise, the first thought in their heads is weight-loss, which sucks when you’re a trainer like me, trying to convince someone who does not want to lose weight to move their body more. The benefits of exercise extend far beyond the physique. Our species spent 99.8 percent of its 7 million-year existence in constant movement, in search of food, so it only makes sense that we function better when participating in an active lifestyle.

Here is how your brain benefits:

It becomes more resistant to depression

In some cases, exercise can work as well as prescribed anti depressants. On a bad day, you can lace up your sneakers, and in as little as 10 minutes, your mood will pick up. If you need help counteracting depression for the long-term, 30 minutes 3-5 times per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise seems to be the most recommended amount.

A one-off bout of exercise can help lift your spirits initially, but won’t have a major effect on your day-to-day mood unless you make it a part of a routine. Behavior change is hard enough for someone who is not depressed, so it’s fair to acknowledge that carving out 30 minutes for exercise per day is a more difficult route to curbing depression when compared to the simplicity of popping a pill and just going about your day.

(There has been a lot of pushback on this topic, though- and rightly so! People with depression don’t enjoy it when random people tell them to drop their prescriptions and “just exercise more”. It is important that we remember everyone’s situation is different and their decision on their treatment route should be kept between them and their doctor, and anyone from whom they specifically seek advice. )

Brain botox

Exercise has been proven to prevent the aging of your brain. When the topic of aging comes up in my circles, besides the dreaded thoughts over wrinkle development and sagging parts, the biggest fear I hear time and time again is of cognitive decline. No one wants to feel the personality, thinking patterns, memories, and knowledge they’ve worked so hard to develop over a lifetime slowly slip away from them. Studies have shown that exercise in older adults can actually prevent the shrinkage of the hippocampus. Not only is that part of the brain responsible for mood regulation, but memory function and cognition, as well. There have been a number of studies linking physical activity to preventing dementia and keeping your brain sharp as you age.

Incorporating 3-5 days of 30 minute session of moderate intensity aerobic workouts-even better if they are exercises that require mind-body coordination (like dancing, hiking on uneven surfaces, martial arts, etc.)-along with some strength training, is an ideal way to keep your brain young.

Helps to boost productivity and focus

Exercise has been known to be a vital part of any successful person’s routine. When imagining how the most innovative among us start their days, I’m guessing you imagine some rigid routine including waking up before the sun, meditation, deep work, and, the inevitable, exercise routine. This is not far from reality.

Studies suggest that exercise also plays a role in focus, learning, and knowledge retention. Exercises like dance, sports, more moderate-intensity aerobic, and even Pilates and strength training have shown to produce increases in focus and memory retention. Again, the sweet spot here is 30-60 minutes, 5 times per week.

So the next time you’re tempted to skip cardio after your lifting session, or if you’re going to skip your morning jog because it’s cold and it’s “just cardio”- don’t.

Your brain will thank you.