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Exercise Can Make You Smarter By: Kelly O'Neil  |
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Thirty minutes a day, four times a week. That’s a fairly standard exercise schedule. No one has to sell you on that because we all know that exercise is a major component to keeping the body healthy. But did you know that the same exercises you do to keep your body in shape can also help keep your mind in shape; in fact, those same exercises may just make you smarter.
It may sound too simple and too good to be true, but new research is finding that when we exercise, a lot more than our muscles get the benefit, our brains as well may be reaping the benefits of exercise.
New research is suggesting that when we contract and release specific muscles, specific chemicals are released into the bloodstream which then travel across the blood brain barrier and directly into the brain. Those chemicals in turn then trigger other chemicals to be released which then fuel thinking and a higher degree of thought.
Other researchers using control groups found that a group of individuals who did aerobic exercises for six month experienced an increase in brain volume in the frontal and temporal areas of the brain, whereas the control group that didn’t exercise had no increase in brain volume.
So what does this mean? It means that quite possibly, the mind body connection that has up until now been the providence of metaphysics, may just be a real connection and that exercise may be absolutely necessary, not only for healthy brain function but to also increasing cognitive ability.
Consider that jumping jacks may jump start new thoughts and push ups may up your ability to solve difficult cognitive problems. Yes the exercise we do may just in fact be benefiting us mentally in ways we have never imagined.
And although there is no solid scientific evidence that shows definitively that exercise can help make you smarter, if you are someone who was looking for one more reason to exercise, the promise of increased mental ability may be the excuse you were looking for.
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