Exercise And The Brain
If you ever needed another good reason to exercise, I’ve got one for you:
Exercise makes your brain bigger.
Actually this isn’t entirely accurate. To be more specific, exercise was found to increase brain size slightly, but far more important to increase “spatial reasoning.”
This is the ability to recognize patterns, remember phrases, numbers, and so-on. This was discovered by researchers at the Universities of Chicago and Pittsburgh.
It is also one of the most important factors to the prevention of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
My mom suffered with dementia the last ten years of her life. But unlike most dementia patients she was fully functional thanks to exercise. She drove and had a mind that was unbelievably sharp right up until an accident injured her beyond the ability to exercise daily.
After that, she mentally went downhill rapidly. Thankfully, she passed in peace but she had ten wonderfully active years thanks to her willingness to take up weight training at the age of 71.
She eventually walked up to 3 miles per day and trained in the gym 3 days per week. That kept her mind sharp, along with fish oil and N-Acetyl L-Carnitine, a wonderful brain nutrient.
Once again, we see the power of exercise. It increases the QUALITY of your life. Quantity is no where near as important to me as quality.
The links at the bottom of this newsletter are to my books on exercise. Pick the one that appeals to you most and take action.
Your brain will thank you, as will the rest of your body.
7 Minute Muscle by Jon Benson
Jon Benson author of 7 Minute Muscle
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