Category: Physical fitness
Aerobic exercise has been shown many times to improve cognitive function, but a recent study shows that strength training can improve executive functions. Executive functions are important because they are a mental ability that helps us make decisions and do several things at once (like driving).
An article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences highlights the potential effects of aerobic activity on the brain. The researchers found that running in increased memory and the creation of new nerve cells in mice.
Lots of research has shown that aerobic fitness may be a key to brain fitness. Now a new study suggests that strength training may be helpful, too.
Brain fitness involves exercise, achieving a healthy weight, and eating well, at least as much as computer brain games. Those are all great resolutions, but to get there, you have to focus. But how?
In the past few weeks, I’ve talked about managing stress and anxiety. I’m reminded by a study in last week’s British Medical Journal that when it comes to brain fitness, the number one tip may be: exercise regularly.
A number of studies have shown that exercise improves cognitive function in persons over 50. It’s not clear why, exactly, but there are several possibilities. I’ve always been a fan of the idea that getting oxygen in your brain can help it work better. Some studies have shown that exercise stimulates the body’s production of a substance called brain-derived neurotropic growth factor (BDNF). Increases in BDNF may help brain make new connections among nerve cells and may help the existing nerve cells work better.
The new study in the BMJ followed more than 2,000 Swedish men for about 35 years. They were 50 years of age and older in 1970, and then followed at intervals. The men who exercised more frequently were more likely to be alive in 2006 than were those who reported a sedentary lifestyle. This was still true after controlling for things such as weight, diabetes, and smoking. Read more about the study in my health aging blog by clicking here. The full study report is available on the BMJ site. Click here to read it.
Remember to check with you doctor before you begin any exercise program. The American Heart Association, though, has published guidelines for exercise for everyone, including persons 65 years of age or older. Most people can exercise safely, but if you have a chronic health condition you should discuss the type of exercise and its frequency with your doctor.
Latest
- Brain Fitness and The Mind of a Monk
- Brain Fitness Tip: Training Without a Computer
I saw an interesting blog post yesterday evening on the site of the Huffington Post about the potential benefits of meditation – or at least about what one woman thinks might be the benefits. (more…)
Although many people are excited about the potential for using computers to train their brains, we shouldn’t forget that other techniques have been used to the train the brain for many centuries. I’m thinking about the large number of techniques for meditation. While free computer software still requires an investment in a computer, meditation only asks you to sit or lie quietly and focus your mind.
A recently-published study shows parts of the brain in long-term meditators are larger than the same parts of the brain in people who don’t meditate. The article by Eileen Luders and her colleagues appeared in a recent issue of the journal Neuroimage (Vol. 45, No. 3, pp. 672-678, April 15, 2009). The study showed that portions of the orbitofrontal cortex and the hippocampus were larger in persons who had been regular meditators for 5 or more years. The study is interesting because the parts of the brain that were larger are often thought to be important in helping people keep themselves emotionally balanced.
A number of strategies are likely to be helpful for meditators. There has been a great deal of interest over the last several years in mindfulness meditation. Researchers have studied how it can be used in reducing anxiety and depression. Mindfulness is based on Buddhist meditation (for a brief article, click here) but you don’t have to be a Buddhist to practice meditation. In fact, one of the most important persons who has promoted mindfulness is Jon Kabat-Zinn, a researcher at the University of Massachusetts. You can see a video presentation by him on YouTube by clicking here.