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Exercise Makes You Smarter - Here's Why
Exercise: The First Step to LifeMaxxing
Life-Maxxing Magazine & Sam Bachvaroff
17 Aug
🚨 Exercise is your brain’s software update 🚨
Think of exercise as a software update for your brain. It triggers a cascade of biological changes that enhance its structure and function.
If you want to maximize your health, wealth, and relationships - exercise is not optional, it is necessary.
Make physical activity a daily habit, a rule, a non-negotiable - and watch how your career and relationships soar!
If someone could invent a pill that gave us the benefits of exercise, it would become the most sought-after drug on the market. Physical activity gets your blood pumping, changes your neurochemistry, and extends your lifespan.
Exercise has such a powerful psychological effect that “exercise may be considered as a psychoactive drug.” Not only does exercise treat anxiety and depression with less side effects than medication, it also makes you hotter, more energetic…and smarter?
Fun Fact: Exercise is your brain’s fountain of youth. A recent study spanning adults from 19 to 93 years old shows that a single bout of moderate exercise can improve both mood and cognitive performance, regardless of age.
Table of Contents
Why is exercise good for you?
Everyone knows exercise is good for you, but why is it so beneficial?
Research has shown that regular physical activity:
reduces blood pressure,
improves metabolic health,
reduces systemic inflammation,
improves blood flow to the heart and brain,
can trigger beneficial epigenetic changes in everything from your muscle cells to your blood cells.
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How exercise makes you smarter
Studies show that regular cardiovascular exercise sparks remarkable changes within the brain. It stimulates the production of BDNF, a crucial molecule that promotes the growth of new neurons and strengthens existing ones. Additionally, exercise enhances blood flow and nutrient delivery to the brain, creating an environment where neuroplasticity flourishes.
What does this mean for you? A more adaptable and efficient brain! You'll experience enhanced learning, improved memory, and sharper cognitive skills. Moreover, a fit brain is more resilient to age-related decline and even diseases like Alzheimer's.
What evidence suggests exercise makes you smarter?
Researchers examined the link between various components of physical fitness (cardiorespiratory, muscular strength, and flexibility) and both general intelligence and academic achievement in adolescents.
What they found was fascinating:
Cardiovascular fitness had a direct, positive relationship with intelligence. Those with higher cardiorespiratory fitness scored better on both the D48 and Raven intelligence tests.
While muscular strength and flexibility didn't show a link to intelligence, they did correlate with better academic achievement overall. Interestingly, muscular strength didn't seem to impact Spanish or math grades specifically.
This suggests that a healthy heart and lungs might be more than just good for your body—they could also be powering up your brain.
How exercise builds your brain
Exercise has wide-ranging effects on your brain, from changing its molecular environment, to changing the structure of your brain, to changing how your brain performs.
Think of exercise as a software update for your brain. It triggers a cascade of biological changes that enhance its structure and function. Studies have shown that exercise increases:
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF): This crucial molecule acts like a fertilizer for your brain, promoting the growth and survival of neurons.
Neurogenesis: The creation of new neurons, particularly in the hippocampus, a region critical for learning and memory.
Synaptogenesis: The formation of new connections between neurons, facilitating faster and more efficient communication within the brain.
Angiogenesis: The growth of new blood vessels, ensuring your brain receives ample oxygen and nutrients.
These changes aren't just theoretical – they translate into real-world cognitive benefits. Regular exercise gives you these cognitive benefits:
Enhanced memory and learning lets you retain information better and pick up new skills faster.
Improved attention and focus helps you identify signals in business and relationships.
Enhanced executive function helps you make better decisions and plan more effectively.
Think about how these benefits compound in your life, improving your social interactions, enhancing your business decisions, making you more socially and financially successful - a key component of LifeMaxxing.
Exercise creates changes in your brain at many different scales:
molecular
cellular
structural
brain function
What type of exercise makes you smarter?
It turns out that any type of physical activity or movement counts as exercise and can improve your physical and mental health!
It seems like the intensity and dose of the exercise is more important than if you are lifting weights or running on a treadmill.
Acute vs. Chronic: Both regular exercise and a single workout can boost your brainpower. So, even if you can't commit to a full fitness routine, squeezing in a quick session can still make a difference.
Intensity Matters: Moderate to high-intensity exercise seems to be the sweet spot for cognitive gains. So, whether it's a brisk walk or a HIIT workout, challenge yourself to get your heart pumping.
How exercise is your brain’s fountain of youth
Aging is associated with the normal decline in cognitive faculties, but exercise can delay this process and keep you sharp and happy throughout the course of your life.
Animal and human studies alike reveal that regular aerobic exercise can literally reshape your brain. By stimulating the growth of new neurons and strengthening connections between them, exercise acts like a fertilizer for your gray matter. This process lays the foundation for enhanced learning, memory, and cognitive flexibility.
Exercise exerts a wide range of psychological and cognitive benefits for aging adults, boosting cognitive performance in older adults and delaying age-related cognitive decline, decreasing anxiety and depression, and in some contexts, increasing “measures of well-being, self-esteem and self-efficacy.”
When the dosage is right, exercise triggers a complex cascade of beneficial health effects. Of course, too much exercise can be a significant stress on the body and the mind, so exercise in a dose that is right for you.
Build a Healthier Brain: Just like lifting weights builds muscle, exercise strengthens your brain. It triggers the production of BDNF, a magical molecule that promotes the growth of new neurons and strengthens the connections between them. Think of it as fertilizer for your brain garden!
Better Nutrient Delivery: Exercise improves blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain, creating an ideal environment for neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to adapt and learn.
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Final thoughts on how exercise gets you smarter
Exercise isn't just about physical health; it's a cognitive powerhouse, capable of boosting your mood, focus, and mental clarity. Whether you're battling stress, anxiety, or simply looking to stay sharp, regular exercise is a proven prescription for a healthier, happier brain. So start moving your body – your brain will thank you! See you next week.
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