The Benefits of Exercise on the Brain

Three exercises with surprising benefits

Did you know that there is a direct correlation between exercise and the brain? While many people workout to get in shape and look toned and thin, there are actually many benefits of exercise on the brain, and it can actually reflect your mood and cognitive health. Here, we discuss three types of workouts and the benefits of exercise on the brain.

1. Intense exercise for 15 minutes after learning a new concept

Benefits: Improves learning and memory

A recent study that came out in Nature Journal in September 2020, found that by doing high intensity bouts of exercise after learning a new concept had a direct impact and improvement on learning and memory retention. This is a great find for education and people dealing with memory loss like the elderly suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. To reap the benefits of exercise on the brain, try an exercise that gets your heart rate at 80 percent of its maximum capacity like running, cycling or a 15-minute HIIT workout after learning something new.

2. Fasted workouts

Benefits: Improve mitochondrial biogenesis, improve cell stress resilience and longevity and metabolic factors

The surprising benefits of a fasted workout have not been talked about enough. Fasted workouts are one of the easiest ways to turn on the fuel switch in our bodies, which uses fat instead of glucose for fuel. It’s an easy and science-backed system to follow: Start your circadian fast at 7:00 P.M. at night, begin the next morning with a walk, jog or yoga and break your fast around 9:00-10:00 A.M. to get all the benefits of a wasted workout.

3. Nature-based walks

Improves: Depression

The lead researcher on a study that looked at nature walks versus urban walks found a significant increase in mood, lower depression symptoms and higher cognitive scores when comparing nature to urban walks. This is because nature helps calm the brain since it doesn’t require us to use our attention centers like we would in a gym or urban setting.

If you want to reap the highest benefits of exercise on the brain, try an intense nature-based workout in the morning, fasted. Watch my full video on Instagram here.

Read more about fasted workouts and its benefits here, or book a virtual one-on-one wellness consultation with me.

 

FEATURED IMAGE COURTESY: https://unsplash.com/@morganhousel