Physical exercise has many benefits: losing weight, maintaining health, and preventing diseases from a sedentary lifestyle. Did you realize that you can also have cognitive benefits from regular physical exercise? In this post, we will explore ways physical exercise can improve cognition.
- What are the Benefits of Physical Exercise?
- How Does Physical Exercise Increase Cognitive Function?
- Other Benefits of Physical Exercise
- What are the Types of Physical Exercise?
- How to do Physical Exercise?
- Summary
What are the Benefits of Physical Exercise?
A 2018 systematic review cites studies that found improvement in cognitive functioning. Wait, but do you know what “cognitive functioning” means? The word “cognitive function” is used frequently in psychology literature when we talk about psychological benefits. So what is it? American Psychological Association defines it as “the performance of the mental processes of perception, learning, memory, understanding, awareness, reasoning, judgment, intuition, and language.” It’s the brain’s capacity to learn, memorize, do daily activities, and pay attention.
The cited studies in the systematic review found improvement in memory, decision-making, and paying attention. Among children, those who exercise were more likely to have better academic achievement, such as verbal and arithmetic tests, compared to those who do not regularly exercise. Children with ADHD who had regular exercise had improved decision-making ability than those who did not exercise. For older adults, incorporating regular physical exercise up to middle life provides the most protective effect against cognitive decline due to natural aging. A 2015 study suggests that older adults vulnerable to cognitive impairment may benefit from combining cognitive training and exercises. Regular physical exercise may reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and improve quality of life.
How Does Physical Exercise Increase Cognitive Function?
So how does regularly going out to exercise improve the brain’s capacity to learn and remember? The 2018 systematic review shows that regular physical exercise led to neuroplasticity, the capacity of neurons in the brain to change their connections. Authors cited a number of studies showing physical exercise increasing gray matter volume and reducing damage in the gray matter in frontal and hippocampal regions.
Physical exercise also increases blood flow, brings more nutrition (such as oxygen and energy from glucose and triglyceride breakdowns) to the brain, and stimulates the release of peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which regulates the creation of synapses (neuron connection) and synaptic plasticity underlying learning. Changes in neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and endorphins, are cited as contributors to improved cognitive function as well.
Other Benefits of Physical Exercise
Physical exercise can also improve the sense of self-competency, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. This could help create positive social interactions and opportunities, possibly preventing cognitive decline. A 2023 study points out that social isolation, loneliness, and depression may be associated with cognitive decline. According to the 2018 systematic review, regular physical exercise can reduce depression and anxiety compared to those who do not exercise regularly.
It can also reduce unhealthy behaviors like smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and gambling. These beneficial effects may last to even the next generation. The systematic review cites studies investigating epigenetic changes due to regular exercise, in which gene expression is regulated to give lasting cognitive benefit through increasing gene expression that produces proteins associated with memory and learning.
What are the Types of Physical Exercise?
Now that you may be interested in applying regular physical exercise to your daily life, you may wonder, “What type of physical exercise is good for me?” Factors to consider when choosing a physical exercise are intensity, frequency, duration, and whether you do it alone or in a group.
- Aerobic exercises (exercises with intense oxygen usage) usually last long, with adjustable intensity. Typical aerobic exercises include jogging, running, cycling, and swimming.
- Acute aerobic exercise: enhances mood and cognitive function (usually small effect)
- Chronic aerobic exercise: increases neuroplasticity, and cognitive function (memory/decision-making), prevents neurodegeneration, and decreases anxiety and depression.
- Anaerobic exercises (exercises with less oxygen usage) usually have high intensity and short duration. It does not use the energy created by the breathing system but instead uses energy stored in your muscles.
- While some studies suggest improvement of mood with anaerobic exercises, a limited amount of studies suggest improvement of cognitive function with anaerobic exercises.
- A 2017 study comparing anaerobic exercise against aerobic exercise among college-aged students found that there are no significant benefits found with anaerobic exercise but modest improvement with aerobic exercises.
How to do Physical Exercise?
So what kind of physical exercise should we do to improve our cognitive function level? Harvard Health Blog of Harvard Medical School recommends aerobic exercises such as running and cycling that can increase oxygen transported to the brain through the blood system. Other recommended forms of exercise include yoga and tai chi, although there is less evidence of improving cognitive functions. It cites the CDC’s recommendation of targeting at least 30 minutes of daily exercise five days a week.
American College of Cardiology 3 steps of planning exercise for those wanting to exercise.
- Plan your 3 “E”s
- Energy: you should start exercising when you feel you have enough energy. If you just ate a meal, wait at least 1 hour before your exercise starts.
- Environment: if you exercise outside, extreme temperatures should be avoided (>85’F or <32’F). Wear supportive footwear!
- Effort: try starting with a comfortable level where you can carry on a conversation.
- Plan your exercise Type, Frequency, Intensity, and Duration.
- Type: start with a warm-up with slow pace walking/biking and end with a cool-down with similar intensity. Stretch major muscle groups (hamstrings, calves, and Achilles tendons) for 20-30 seconds.
- Frequency: you can exercise as short as 5 minutes daily and increase it to 5 times per week of 30-minute exercises.
- Intensity: start with fairly light intensity and increase to a more intense level, then cool down to fairly light intensity again.
- Duration: you can start with as short as 5 minutes, then increase to 30 minutes daily.
- Keeping your Motivation
- Doing exercise in groups could help you keep accountable for your exercise goals. You can visualize the end result of your exercise. Try to recall all the benefits we discussed in this post!
Summary
Physical exercise can help improve mood, learning and prevent unhealthy behaviors. Simple steps can be taken to gain the advantage of these exercises, especially aerobic exercises. We also explore how exercise leads to biological changes that improve our cognitive function. We hope that this has helped you motivate exercise more!
Disclaimer: This web post is for information purposes. If you have medical needs, please contact your primary care physician.
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