Whenever I'm trying to figure out a solution to a particularly difficult problem, my first instinct is to go for a walk, hop on my bike, or take off on my inline skates. Usually, by the end of my workout, I've come up with just the right answer to whatever it was that was bothering me.
Coincidence? I think not. And neither does Justin S. Rhodes, PhD, a psychology professor at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois.
Rhodes and his research team set out to learn which benefits the brain more: mental stimulation or exercise. To do it they gave different groups of mice brain-stimulating toys and/or running wheels, or nothing at all. What they found was pretty surprising: Only the running wheels led to a significant boost in cognitive ability.
The exercise-brain power connection makes sense. Vonda Wright, MD, an orthopedic surgeon, well-being expert, and member of Sharecare's advisory board, explains it this way: "Exercise strengthens the brain's ability to learn. Even at a cellular level, we are wired for mobility. Chronic intense activity increases capillary development in the brain, enabling oxygen, glucose, and a spectrum of growth hormones access to the brain."
Translation: Move more and you may get smarter.
This is especially true as you age. As doctor, researcher, and longevity expert Dean Ornish, MD, points out: "Studies have shown that older adults who exercise regularly have better memory, are better at going from one mental task to another, and can focus and concentrate better than those who are sedentary."
Even children can reap brain benefits from exercise. Experts at the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) note that active kids not only do better on standardized tests than their couch-loving counterparts, but they tend to have better grades, too.
You don't have to do a full-fledged "workout" to benefit your brain. Just look for ways to fit more movement in your everyday life by doing things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, riding your bike to work, or parking at the far end of the parking lot, suggests fitness specialist Ann Prokenpek.
Sources: Rhodes JS, van Praag H, Jeffrey S, et al...
- Rhodes JS, van Praag H, Jeffrey S, et al. Exercise increases hippocampal neurogenesis to high levels but does not improve spatial learning in mice bred for increased voluntary wheel running [published correction appears in Behav Neurosci. 2004 Apr;118(2):305]. Behav Neurosci. 2003;117(5):1006-1016.
