Fitness and the Brain
Scientific research shows certain physical activities
Boost
the fitness of your brain!
Exercise Reverses Cognitive Decline
Did you know that our brains shrink over time? (That explains it, some of you are thinking!) This isn't a joke - it's a scientific fact. The average 90 year old has only half of the wiring they once had. 
In fact, by the time they are 50, many people's brains have begun to get smaller. And this 'shrinking brain' is associated with poorer mental performance.
The good news? Just as the brain can shrink, it can also be made to grow. Multi-sensory stimulation, novelty, enriched environments and brainteasers all promote neural plasticity (and brain growth) by challenging the brain to work in new ways. But here's the kicker: of all things studied exercise has the most dramatic effect. If Sudoku is the shovel, exercise is the bulldozer!
Exercise has actually been shown to halt brain damage and regenerate both white and gray matter. It not only stems cognitive decline - it can help build back brain power.
The Documented Benefits of Exercise
In Bruce Grierson's book, What makes Olga Run? Grierson documents the remarkable story of a 94-year-old track and field champion whose fitness regime has helped her keep as active and vibrant as most people 30 or 40 years younger. Grierson notes the proven effects of exercise including these:
Aerobic Exercise:
- Boosts our central command functions (think critically & deal with ambiguity)
- Re-insulates the axons of the brain cells, boosting processing speed & making connections more reliable
- Cognitive multiplier effect – sparks production of neurotransmitters and creates more receptors for them in key areas of the brain
- Turns on genes which keep that positive cycle spinning
Resistance Training:
- Produces brain building proteins (neurotrophins) which signal brain to survive and reproduce
- Improves executive control – scheduling, planning & dealing with ambiguity
- Pump the heart and at same time perform more skillful, more complex movements = superpower boost
- Combine spatial orientation + variety + explosive heart pump in short blasts = best results
Sweat Equity - Intensity and Rigour Count:
- Hippocampus (memory function) grows quantitatively in relation to intensity
- Intensity concentrates the physiological benefits of exercise
- Level of effort is what promotes astounding recovery
- 10 minutes of high intensity makes you much more fit than 120 mins of light moving around
- Intensity is in relation to an individual's activity level and ability - try for 80% of your maximum heart rate for short bursts, alternate between intensity and rest (recuperation)
- There is an intensity threshold where exercise becomes really beneficial - you need to sweat to provoke an adaptation response. Harder is better up to a point. There is a limit. Over-exercising can damage the heart
Exercise is Natural - Your Body Wants It!
Today there are so many "solutions" to the challenges of life, and of aging. But exercise is the true solution your body wants and needs. It buys you a chance at a long life by lowering the risk of a variety of ailments including heart disease. It reverses the effects of a genetic bad hand (ie. switches off genes which pre-dispose us to obesity) and promotes the growth of stem cells in muscles. Younger every step of the way! When you add exercise to anything, you get the 'synergy effect'. Exercise makes every good habit more potent. You can introduce exercise at any point right up into very old age and reverse decline! So Up the Ante on your exercise regime everyone. Go for it!
If you take care of both your body and mind you'll have a better life, with more energy, less pain, and a more positive attitude. Exercise bolsters the parts of us that normal aging erodes. It adds life to our years.
