Over the past 3 years, Marisa has become extremely interested in exercising to improve her appearance. She does weight lifting and circuit training by changing up her routine. She does an aerobic workout by running on the treadmill anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or she uses the elliptical or stepper. Other days she trains with WII Fit, yoga and pilates. She has numerous DVDs to help her in her routines when doing palates or yoga, and uses equipment at the gym that she doesn't have at home. I have watched her go from a flabby 30 pounds more than she is now, to a very fit and toned young lady. But that's not all I have seen change about her. Although Marisa's goal was to trim down and look as pretty as her older sisters, she has gained more positives than she bargained for. Marisa has become sharp in her thinking, more energetic and quick to get all jobs she engages in done, not just in a timely fashion, but ahead of schedule. I decided to check out any research that shows the benefits of exercise on the brain. What I discovered was not surprising at all, so I'm going to share it with you.
Tara Parker-Pope researches information on Health for The New York Times Well section. November 30, 2011 an article in the Well section by Gretchen Reynold, summarized some interesting findings by various research groups.
In a study done in 2011, scientists in Ireland asked a group of sedentary male college students to take part in a memory test followed by strenuous exercise. At first the group watched a rapid-fire lineup of photos with faces and names of strangers. Then the group was asked to recall as many names as they could by viewing the photos. Then half the group rode a stationary bicycle at an increasingly strenuous pace, while the other half sat for 30 minutes. When both groups again took the test, those who had exercised performed significantly better than they had initially. Those who had rested for the 30 minutes did not show improvement.
Blood samples taken throughout the experiment offered a biological explanation for the improved performance. After the strenuous activity, the cyclists had much higher levels of a protein known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is known to promote the health of nerve cells. The Irish study suggests that the increases in BDNF prompted by exercise most likely played a role in improving memory and recall.
Other studies have shown similar conclusion. A study done by Brazilian scientists, using elderly rats found an increase of BDNF molecules in the rats who ran just 5 minutes a few days a week for 5 weeks.
This group of elderly rats then performed almost as well as much younger rats on rodent memory tests.
A similar animal study performed by researchers in the Brain Injury Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, and published in the journal Neuroscience, also showed increases in BDNF molecules among adult rats allowed to run at will for a week.
Another study involving aging human pilots was published in the journal Translational Psychiatry. Scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine asked 144 experienced pilots between the ages of 40 and 65 to operate a cockpit simulator three separate times over the course of two years. For all, performance declined as the years passed. A similar decline with age is common in all of us. Dr. Ahmad Salehi, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford was a lead author of the study. He found that the decline was especially striking among one particular group of men. This group carried a common genetic variation that is believed to reduce BDNF activity in their brains. What was discovered is that the men with a genetic tendency toward lover BDNF levels seemed to lose their ability to perform complicated tasks at almost double the rate of the men without the variation.
Even though this study wasn't an exercise study, it makes us wonder if strenuous exercise could slow cognitive declines by raising BDNF levels, and help improve our ability to perform skilled tasks for a longer time into our senior years. Dr. Salehi points out, "Though other growth factors and body chemicals are 'upregulated' by exercise, BDNF holds the most promise. The one factor that shows the fastest, most consistent and greatest response is BDNF. It seems to be key to maintaining not just memory but skilled performance."
It was noted that Dr. Salehi plans to examine the exercise histories of the pilots, to see whether those with the gene variant respond differently to workouts.
In every study so far, the evidence shows that physical activity will increase BDNF levels and improve cognitive health. If this doesn't have you convinced then check out the below benefits of exercise that are sure to jump start us all.
"Exercise is the single best thing you can do for your brain in terms of mood, memory, and learning," says Harvard Medical School psychiatrist John Ratey, author of the book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain."
Here are 7 benefits of exercise written up in US News and World Report by Deborah Kotz and Angela Haupt.
1. Exercise reverses the effects of stress, by increasing levels of soothing brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Exercise also will work on a cellular level to reverse stress's toll on our aging process, according to a 2010 study from the University of California in San Francisco.
2. Exercise lifts depression. Research suggests that burning off 350 calories three times a week through sustained, sweat-inducing activity can reduce symptoms of depression about as effectively as antidepressants. This may be because exercise appears to stimulate the growth of neurons in certain brain regions damaged by depression.
3. Exercise improves learning. It increases the level of brain chemicals called growth factors, which help make new brain cells and establish new connections between brain cells to help us learn. Activities like tennis and dance classes, which require more thought, provide the biggest brain boost.
4. Exercise builds self-esteem. Seeing fitness improvements like running a faster mile or lifting more weights than previously, can improve your body image.
5. Exercise leaves you feeling euphoric. Sprint bursts through interval training seems to be the most effective.
6. Exercise keeps the brain fit. "In a 2011 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Canadian researchers analyzed the energy expenditure and cognitive functioning of elderly adults over the course of two to five years. The most active participants scored significantly better on tests of cognitive function, and they showed the least amount of cognitive decline."
7. Exercise keeps Alzheimer's at bay. "The Alzheimer's Research Center touts exercise as one of the best weapons against the disease. Exercise appears to protect the hippocampus, which governs memory and spatial navigation, and is one of the first brain regions to succumb to Alzheimer's-related damage."
So keeping ourselves and our kids moving is a no brainer, but the trick will be finding those activities that are most enjoyable for each individual and making them part of our daily activities. That is the best we can do to make sure our brains stay healthy and at an optimal level. And for our special needs kids, this would provide every advantage toward improving their physical well being and bringing their cognitive ability up to their optimal level!
Tara Parker-Pope researches information on Health for The New York Times Well section. November 30, 2011 an article in the Well section by Gretchen Reynold, summarized some interesting findings by various research groups.
In a study done in 2011, scientists in Ireland asked a group of sedentary male college students to take part in a memory test followed by strenuous exercise. At first the group watched a rapid-fire lineup of photos with faces and names of strangers. Then the group was asked to recall as many names as they could by viewing the photos. Then half the group rode a stationary bicycle at an increasingly strenuous pace, while the other half sat for 30 minutes. When both groups again took the test, those who had exercised performed significantly better than they had initially. Those who had rested for the 30 minutes did not show improvement.
Blood samples taken throughout the experiment offered a biological explanation for the improved performance. After the strenuous activity, the cyclists had much higher levels of a protein known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is known to promote the health of nerve cells. The Irish study suggests that the increases in BDNF prompted by exercise most likely played a role in improving memory and recall.
Other studies have shown similar conclusion. A study done by Brazilian scientists, using elderly rats found an increase of BDNF molecules in the rats who ran just 5 minutes a few days a week for 5 weeks.
This group of elderly rats then performed almost as well as much younger rats on rodent memory tests.
A similar animal study performed by researchers in the Brain Injury Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, and published in the journal Neuroscience, also showed increases in BDNF molecules among adult rats allowed to run at will for a week.
Another study involving aging human pilots was published in the journal Translational Psychiatry. Scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine asked 144 experienced pilots between the ages of 40 and 65 to operate a cockpit simulator three separate times over the course of two years. For all, performance declined as the years passed. A similar decline with age is common in all of us. Dr. Ahmad Salehi, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford was a lead author of the study. He found that the decline was especially striking among one particular group of men. This group carried a common genetic variation that is believed to reduce BDNF activity in their brains. What was discovered is that the men with a genetic tendency toward lover BDNF levels seemed to lose their ability to perform complicated tasks at almost double the rate of the men without the variation.
Even though this study wasn't an exercise study, it makes us wonder if strenuous exercise could slow cognitive declines by raising BDNF levels, and help improve our ability to perform skilled tasks for a longer time into our senior years. Dr. Salehi points out, "Though other growth factors and body chemicals are 'upregulated' by exercise, BDNF holds the most promise. The one factor that shows the fastest, most consistent and greatest response is BDNF. It seems to be key to maintaining not just memory but skilled performance."
It was noted that Dr. Salehi plans to examine the exercise histories of the pilots, to see whether those with the gene variant respond differently to workouts.
In every study so far, the evidence shows that physical activity will increase BDNF levels and improve cognitive health. If this doesn't have you convinced then check out the below benefits of exercise that are sure to jump start us all.
"Exercise is the single best thing you can do for your brain in terms of mood, memory, and learning," says Harvard Medical School psychiatrist John Ratey, author of the book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain."
Here are 7 benefits of exercise written up in US News and World Report by Deborah Kotz and Angela Haupt.
1. Exercise reverses the effects of stress, by increasing levels of soothing brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Exercise also will work on a cellular level to reverse stress's toll on our aging process, according to a 2010 study from the University of California in San Francisco.
2. Exercise lifts depression. Research suggests that burning off 350 calories three times a week through sustained, sweat-inducing activity can reduce symptoms of depression about as effectively as antidepressants. This may be because exercise appears to stimulate the growth of neurons in certain brain regions damaged by depression.
3. Exercise improves learning. It increases the level of brain chemicals called growth factors, which help make new brain cells and establish new connections between brain cells to help us learn. Activities like tennis and dance classes, which require more thought, provide the biggest brain boost.
4. Exercise builds self-esteem. Seeing fitness improvements like running a faster mile or lifting more weights than previously, can improve your body image.
5. Exercise leaves you feeling euphoric. Sprint bursts through interval training seems to be the most effective.
6. Exercise keeps the brain fit. "In a 2011 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Canadian researchers analyzed the energy expenditure and cognitive functioning of elderly adults over the course of two to five years. The most active participants scored significantly better on tests of cognitive function, and they showed the least amount of cognitive decline."
7. Exercise keeps Alzheimer's at bay. "The Alzheimer's Research Center touts exercise as one of the best weapons against the disease. Exercise appears to protect the hippocampus, which governs memory and spatial navigation, and is one of the first brain regions to succumb to Alzheimer's-related damage."
So keeping ourselves and our kids moving is a no brainer, but the trick will be finding those activities that are most enjoyable for each individual and making them part of our daily activities. That is the best we can do to make sure our brains stay healthy and at an optimal level. And for our special needs kids, this would provide every advantage toward improving their physical well being and bringing their cognitive ability up to their optimal level!
