| Regular aerobic exercise can improve your memory. Your brain is your tool for remembering, so you have to make sure the brain has enough oxygen and other nutrients. Daily physical activity is one way to increase blood flow to your brain. It has been proven that building your aerobic capacity (through aerobic activity like running or cycling) increases oxygen not only to your brain but to all your other organs. |
Oxygenate Your Brain
When your oxygen is low, your ability to concentrate is hurt. When you can't concentrate, you can't learn new information easily or recall information you studied in the past. Many studies have shown that physical activity increases the flow of oxygen to your brain.
As fitness expert Robert Sweetgall, who has walked over 70,000 miles in his lifetime, explains:"Exercise helps oxygenate (supply oxygen to) the brain. This supply makes it function better. Even walking 15 minutes a day will help you focus better."
If you don't exercise regularly, try starting with a simple cardio program at home. You might want to check out the 20-Minute Memory Solution exercise program that I personally use. It really works!
Aerobic Exercise Builds New Brain Cells
Research done in the last ten years shows that intense aerobic activity actually grows new brain cells (neurons) in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is one part of the brain responsible for - you guessed it - MEMORY.A March 2007 study by the Scott Small of the National Academy of Sciences showed that "a three-month program of vigorous aerobic exercise seemed to produce new neurons in this area, as well as improvements on tests of mental recall." This study found a 30 percent increase in the number of brain cells in the human participants. For the study, the participants were exercising intensely one to two hours a day, four days a week, on a treadmill or stationary bicycle.
Aerobic activity is something I can do that actually grows neurons in the memory section of my brain, and which is also proven to have tremendous benefits for other reasons (keeps me fit, increases lifespan, energy, fights diseases, and so on). Gee, should I, or shouldn't I do it? Duh!
Since this is a memory site and not a fitness site, I'm not going into every theory of physical fitness. I'm just going to tell you what I do, and then you can decide if that would work for you or if you need to find something else.
The main thing is getting some aerobic activity as many days of the week as possible. Atleast three days a week. Six days a week is probably even better.
Running Is a Good Option
I used to hate running. I always did, ever since 8th grade when my parents signed me up for the track team at school. I always came in last because I didn't practice like the other kids and because I have short wind (naturally low stamina). But you know what? I run now. I've gotten used to it, and it isn't that bad. Running is a very simple, no-fancy-equipment-needed way to get in my 20 minutes a day.It makes a huge difference. If I stop running for a week or two, which sometimes happens, I start feeling like crud within just a few days. Face it - we were not made to be sedentary couch potatoes. We were meant to move our limbs and get the blood flowing. The brain is highly sensitive to this. Just try an exercise program for six weeks or so and just see if you don't notice a tremendous difference in your energy level and the quickness of your mind.
For those who already do aerobic exercise regularly - Bravo!
The Next Level of Exercise
I actually lift weights in addition to running. I find that when I stick to a reasonable weight routine, I have fewer aches and pains (especially lower back and neck), and I just feel better in general. Plus the overall increase in strength just makes all kinds of every day tasks easier. However, I have not seen any evidence (yet) that lifting weights strengthens your memory.Several years back there was a great article in Men's Fitness magazine that listed 44 benefits of eating right, lifting weights, and doing aerobic exercise. Let me point out just one of the reasons:
12. You'll stay mentally sharp. In a study of older men and women, fit subjects scored higher on tests of reasoning, working memory and reaction time than sedentary subjects did. This may be because exercise improves blood supply to the brain.
If you are interested, there are many sites on the web where you can find a routine you like. My personal favorite program, the one I've used for years, is the Body for Life program started by Bill Philips, a former bodybuilder and the founder of Experimental and Applied Sciences (EAS).
Some people bash Body for Life in favor of other programs, but I'm sorry, it works. I'm almost 40, and even though I don't do the program fanatically like some people, I'm still one of the strongest and most fit people around me.
So check out that program and any others, but the main point is START SOMETHING! (At least something aerobic.)