How Exercises Influence Brain Health

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How Exercises Influence Brain Health

Regular exercise is a significant part of a healthy lifestyle as it is good for bones and muscles and helps maintain a healthy brain. Regular exercise changes physical appearance, boosts physical capabilities and improves brain and cognition. Exercise has different effects on the brain. Regular exercise is helpful in feeding the brain. Exercise boosts the flow of blood in the brain. Because the brain has a high metabolic demand, it requires good circulation and exercise helps with this. Increased blood flows extremely helpful and is beneficial. Exercise ignited a good flow of blood, which is pertinent to the delivery of nutrients needed for the brain to do its job.

Another way exercise influences brain health is by securing priceless memories. It increases the production of molecules that are critical for memory. People hold on to memories that are dear to them, but in reality, is that we only remember a portion of our lives. Writing down memories, accessing memories and sharing them with others only helps in cementing their presence in the brain, however, regular exercise boosts the strength and capacity of the brain. Regular work-out improves memories by increasing the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BNDF), which in turn boosts synatogenesis hence forming new synapses which mediate memory and learning hence making it easier to collect information and form long-term memories (Herold, Törpel, Schega, & Müller, (2019). Exercise also tends to reduce the impact of stress in people. While it is not a solution for stress, exercise calms the experience. Worth noting, exercise does not have any influence on stress hormones, but rather it reduces the number of stress receptors found in the hippocampus. Reducing the number of stress receptors curbs the stress hormone effect in the brain, which in turn decreases the impact of stressful experiences.

References

Herold, F., Törpel, A., Schega, L., & Müller, N. G. (2019). Functional and/or structural brain changes in response to resistance exercises and resistance training lead to cognitive improvements–a systematic review. European Review of Aging and Physical Activity, 16(1), 1-33.