Daily exercise for a Healthy Brain
Friday, February 24, 2012 at 10:16AM By: Cari Ham
Do you need new some motivation to get off the couch and get some exercise? It has become common knowledge that exercise is beneficial in weight maintenance, important for heart health, and vital in maintaining muscle strength and balance. But what about your brain? Brain health is also a critical component to the overall healthy lifestyle model and one of the best ways to keep your brain healthy is to exercise! Let’s take a closer look at two important ways that exercise helps promote brain health and overall wellness.
Your brain is an organ that needs continual blood flow and oxygenation in order to function at its highest level. Exercise helps make this happen. Exercise aids in the creation of new neurons. Neurons are basically brain/nerve cells that make up the building blocks of our nervous system. Their role is to transmit information throughout our body. As we age, we lose brain functioning as a result of a reduction in nerve tissue. Our neurons become less effective and over time this affects our ability of process and store information, as well as learn new information. Since exercise allows us to create new neurons, it also helps improve memory and our ability to acquire new skills and grasp new concepts. By creating a larger network of neural connections, we can slow the process of brain aging that often lead to dementia and Alzheimer’s. This sounds like a “no brainer” to me!
A key component to being in good physical health is having good mental health. It is important that we are able to cope with the stresses of everyday life. Most of us are juggling work demands, family needs, social commitments, and more! This can take quite a toll on our mental of psychological well being. Fortunately for us, exercise can help control the stress and anxiety brought on by the craziness of day to day life! Exercise causes the release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin by stimulating your nervous system. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that transmit messages from one nerve cell to another. When neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine reach low levels, it often causes feelings of depression. Exercise will give a boost to the the level of these chemicals in your system and therefore a boost to your mood and mental well being. Exercise also causes the release of specific neurotransmitters call endorphins. Endorphins are chemicals that block pain messages to your brain. They act as almost a natural drug and create feelings of relaxation, happiness, and ability to better take on the world. These endorphins will help you mange stress in even the most difficult times and there is no denying the toll that chronic stress and anxiety take on the body. So, next time you are feeling like you need and emotional “pick me up,” ditch the bad for you comfort food and get some exercise! You will feel ready to take on your biggest challenges!
Reader Comments (1)
Healthy nations build with healthy mind and physical fitness, so for both mentally and physically fitness exercises is must, you can do any sport you like. there are many of games and sports like Football, Hockey, Baseball, Swimming, Running, Jogging you can chose any of these, if you will be healthy definitely you be able to think better and good.