Brain and Exercise

By Ultimate Memory

Your mental health is as important as your physical health. As the years go by, an unexercised  brain gets weaker just as an unexercised body does. And even an exercised brain gets weaker in a poorly exercised body. You need both mental and physical exercise for a strong brain.

The most common problem is a loss of memory and difficulty with focus and concentration. But there are many ways to ensure memory improvement, especially if you pay proper attention to exercise and a healthy schedule.

Most of the age-related memory losses occur due to inactivity of the mind. The more you utilize your brain, the more strong and robust it gets. Even if you don’t have much mental activity involved in your daily routine, there is still hope.

Research in the last decade has shown that the part of brain called the hippocampus (which is responsible for memory related tasks) continues to operate and work effectively throughout your life. However, it will do this only if it gets enough exercise.

Exercise for the brain? Yes, exercise for the brain. Not just word games and puzzles, but physical exercise.

Research conducted at Brown University's Alpert Medical School and Rhode Island Hospital by neuroscientist Peter Snyder reveals that aerobic exercises increase blood flow to the brain and thus increases its capacity, thereby enhancing memory skills.

In March 2007, another research study was done by Dr. Scott Small, who worked at the National Academy of Sciences. It proved that by exercising for three months, a person could increase neuron productivity in the brain by up to 30 percent. The participants worked out for one or two hours a day, up to four days in the week, on either a treadmill or a bike.

Although the research on the connection between memory and exercise is not truly complete, there are several many aerobic exercises that most fitness experts and neuroscientists are consider to be the best ones. The most common and highly recommended are walking or cycling. You can do these in the gym (on a treadmill and stationary cycle respectively) or outside.

These two exercises are often rated as "the best ones" because of their ease and convenience for people of all ages. These are especially suitable for senior citizens, and a recommended addition to the exercise routines for people in their 50s and above.

Even exercising for 20 minutes a day gives you the following benefits:

• Enhanced memory.
• Focused and undivided ability to concentrate.
• Witty and on-the-spot thinking ability.
• Better immunity from illnesses and diseases.
• Better physical health.
• Enhanced endurance levels.
• Stronger heart.
• Better cholesterol levels.
• Reduced weight and digestion problems.
• Loss of depression and better sleep.
• Stronger bones.
• More energy.

When you think about it, 20 minutes invested every day for so much benefit doesn’t sound bad at all. So why not spend some time on aerobic exercises every day? Stay healthy and vital as long as you can, and you'll have the benefits of a long life and the memory skills and physical ability to enjoy it.