Photo by Rance Costa
We all hate to admit it, but physical exercise benefits us in every possible way. It not only makes you look good and feel good, but it keeps your brain strong and healthy. For those of you who love to exercise, you’ve already got this part of brain fitness down pat. But then there are some people, (big flashy arrow pointing down at me right now) who have a harder time making physical exercise part of their everyday routine. We need a little bit more convincing or a little bit more time in our schedule or whatever other excuse it may be this week. Bottom line is without exercise, you will die…ok that’s an exaggeration. I’m sounding a little too much like the 10 o’clock news. But on a serious note, it is vital to our brain fitness and our overall health that we implement at least 30 minutes of exercise daily into our routines.
Scientists have completed multiple studies on the idea that exercise improves your brain. They have seen that rats that regularly use the exercise wheels have better brains than those that don’t. Exercising your body exercises your mind. That sounds very cliché, but it’s true. By exercising, you are challenging your brain to focus on distance, balance, endurance and new muscle skills. Physical exercise benefits our brains by boosting the flow of oxygen and blood to the brain, enhancing cognitive skills and generating nerve cells. Even further, physical exercise can provide a protective shield towards neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases.
Exercising your body exercises your mind.
With such positive results from exercising, why do some of us continue to be lazy about it? Most of us have used any and every excuse to try and get out of it. Well, now is the time to change that. Schedule aside some time each day to work out. It may be easier if you start out slowly – maybe for the first couple of weeks just exercise once a week, and then increase it to twice a week. However you do it, just make sure you’re doing it and that you don’t give up on it. If you’re like me, if I skip a couple of days of exercise, it’s so much easier for me to just give it up altogether.
It also helps to give yourself some goals. For example, I will always work out at least twice a week. Or I will try a new form of exercise every two weeks. Just continue to challenge yourself through exercise, because that is another great way to exercise your brain. Not only does physical exercise stimulate the brain, but so does adding change into your life. Be sure to change up your exercise routine. One day do some cardio, the next lift some weights. Do some yoga, cycling or kickboxing. Change things up and try to target different areas of your body as well. Finally, keep track of your changes. Is your body changing? Are you dealing with stress differently? If you notice the changes in your body and life, you will be more inclined to continue to work out, because you will be satisfied and happy with the results.
