From Shaklee Health Wise
Exercise for brain
health
If you are looking to banish “brain fog,” forget your
forgetfulness, and even support a better mood, then look no further than your
running shoes. Exercise, it turns out, is an outstanding way for you to protect
(or even enhance) your brain’s health.
Exercise is so powerful at helping the brain, scientists are
suggesting that exercise can decrease cognitive decline, and it may even help
you recover some function that you might feel you have lost. So, if you find
yourself searching everywhere for your keys, struggling to remember names, or
just feeling that you aren’t as sharp as you once were, then your first stop
should be your local gym.
When you are looking to keep your brain fit and functional,
then make sure you include both physical and mental exercise.
Physical exercise
For optimum brain health, you need both regular and
moderately intense exercises.
Regular exercise means doing something aerobic (such as
walking, jogging, swimming, or biking) at least 3-4 times a week (more is
better) and moderate-intensity exercise is the type of exercise where you push
yourself to new limits. For example, when walking, instead of a leisurely
stroll, try to push yourself and pick up the pace. The key here is to breathe a
little hard, but not hard enough that it is difficult for you to carry on a
conversation.
As always, if you are starting an exercise program, check
with your health care provider and start slowly.
Regular exercise improves circulation throughout the body,
including the brain. More blood means more nutrients and oxygen-rich blood
going to your brain. Laboratory studies have demonstrated that exercise
influences the synthesis and release of several neurotransmitters (such as norepinephrine,
serotonin, GABA, and acetylcholine) and enhances the production of a growth
factor called brain-derived neurotrophic factor
Exercise is good for the whole body and it helps to maintain
healthy blood pressure, improves energy, helps lower stress and anxiety,
improves mood, is good for heart health, and helps you maintain a healthy
weight—all of which are beneficial for YOU and your brain.
Mental exercise
Your mental capacity is no different from the rest of your
body: you have to use it or lose it.
Part of creating your own brain fitness program is to
stimulate your brain on a regular basis. When you do this, you increase and
strengthen neural connections inside your brain, a process known as
neuroplasticity.
What can you do to stimulate your brain?
Social engagement, crossword puzzles, completing challenging
tasks, trying brain games or anything new, doing something differently, all
stimulate your brain. You can even try brushing your teeth or eating with the
opposite hand.
Just like the rest of your body, your brain needs your
attention to keep it performing well throughout your whole life.
Be well!
Jamie McManus, M.D., FAAFP
Chair of Medical Affairs, Health
Science, & Education
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