Are you stiffer than you used to be? Is it hard to get out of your car, bed, or chair?
Do things seem heavier than they were ten years ago? You don’t even consider grabbing the large pot from the upper kitchen shelf. Rolling up the garden hose after watering the garden makes your back hurt. Well, we do lose an average of 5% of muscle mass every ten years IF we are sedentary and not active.
The good news is that these symptoms can be reversed and strength increased with a well selected exercise routine. I say well selected because you shouldn’t try to jump into something too rigorous. The key is gradual improvement.
BUT what about your BRAIN?
Is it hard to remember things? Maybe you don’t even try to learn new things because it seems too difficult. Can you focus your attention and quickly change between tasks like a pro multi-tasker?
Or have you been anxious or depressed?
There is more good news. The data is in: Exercise can greatly improve your brain function!
Different Types of Exercise Affect Different Parts of the Brain
Did you know that different types of exercise help with different brain functions. Check out this helpful chart:
| TYPE OF EXERCISE | COGNITIVE EFFECT |
|---|---|
| Lifting Weights | Prefrontal cortex: complex thinking, reasoning, multitasking, problem-solving |
| Sports Drills | Prefrontal cortex & basal ganglia: attention, switching between tasks, inhibition Parietal Lobe: visual- spacial processing Cerebellum: attention |
| Yoga | Frontal lobe & Insula and Amygdala: Integrates thoughts and emotions, fear and anxiety |
| High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) | Hypothalamus: appetite regulation, information processing speed and largest gains in physical function |
| Aerobic Exercise | Memory- Increased growth in hippocampus |
Here are links to sources of the above information. Hint: They have a great infographic of the brain with the areas of the brain that are affected by different types of exercise.
Confirmation from government sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28811842
http://www.pnas.org/content/108/7/3017
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3448565/
Physical Exercise is Shown to Increase Brain Health in Aging Individuals
MRIs were done on 638 subjects at age 70 and again at 73. Those who consistently exercised showed less brain shrinkage and better brain circuitry compared to the inactive individuals. It made no difference whether or not initial IQ was high.
In one European study in was found that individuals over 50 years old had less cognitive decline after a 2.5 year period if they did any kind of regular physical activity. Especially if they did vigorous workouts more than once a week.
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jar/2013/657508/
Meditative Practices Like Qigong Build the Brain
It has been measured that meditation and meditative practices build up the cortical structures of the brain that deal with the feeling neurons on your skin and inside your body, auditory and visual processing, as well as emotional integration and control.
Tai chi or Qigong, lively discussions, and aerobic exercise have all been found to increase brain size and cognition. So take your pick!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1361002/
http://www.j-alz.com/press/2012/20120619.html
http://www.worldtaichiday.org/Medical_Research_On_Tai_Chi_Qigong/alzheimers.html
Summary
Exercise has shown to improve so many brain diseases from ADHD to depression, addiction, and cognitive decline.
It is common sense to conclude that just getting more oxygen and blood to the brain through movement will help. But now there is so much confirmation from the scientific community that exercise promotes our health. To be healthy we need to MOVE. We have to go against the pull of our society that is locked into doing everything sitting in front of a computer. Yes we have made things more convenient and easier–but hopefully that will free up time for us to do fun physical things! Anyone for a game of frisbee? Or a qigong class where we mimic wild animals? Now that is fun!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurobiological_effects_of_physical_exercise#Structural_growth