How Exercise Affects Your Brain By Susan Gazerro By Susan Gazerro
Myke Yeager Photography
Exercise can do all of the following: Prevent depression and stress Lower blood pressure and lower the odds of having heart problems Make you feel good physically and mentally Reduce the brain fog that comes with age And much more…. I have always preached, exercise is not about losing weight. It is a fringe benefit. There’s so much more. Exercise can be defined and done in so many different ways. We all know that exercise comes from walking, jogging, running, swimming, hiking, taking a cardio class, lifting weights, etc., but what really happens to our body when we exercise? The most recent research shows that the exercise we do to improve our body also helps our brain! When we do high intensity exercise, our heart rate increases, supplying more blood flow to the brain. The increased heart rate also increases our 34 Shop In RI
breathing, making us breathe harder and faster. As a result, more oxygen is supplied to our blood stream and more oxygen reaches our brain. This leads to neurogenesis, which is the production of neurons. This is very personal to me because I suffered a TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury, and being a fitness instructor, I learned a lot about the connection between physical exercise and the brain. Research has indicated that physical exercise increases neurogenesis in the hippocampus, the area of the brain that is important for learning and memory. Additionally, exercise also influences the neurotrophins; it’s the protein that aids in neuron survival, development, and function. This all results in improved learning and memory. Regular physical activity lowers the risk of developing cognitive impairment, such as dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. This benefit from exercise is for people with normal and also impaired cognitive health, including people with ADHD, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke. Furthermore, exercise also releases the secretion of dopamine and serotonin, which are linked with
