Strengthening Your Mind With Exercise

Everyone knows that exercise is great for your heart, lungs and muscles. But would it surprise you to learn that regular physical activity is also very good for your brain?

Eighth grade teacher Allison Cameron wondered if this could be true as she pondered ways to get her City Park Collegiate students to better concentrate on their schoolwork. City Park Collegiate is an inner-city school that specializes in helping kids with learning issues and personal problems in Saskatoon, the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. To test out her ideas, Cameron had her students pedal stationary bikes and run on treadmills during language arts class. For math class, they headed off to the weight room and pumped iron while pondering the day's math problems.

Those exercise sessions every other day over the course of a semester translated into academic rewards beyond her expectations. By the end of the four-month trial, the students' ability to concentrate was sharper and they spent more time working without interruption. Attendance also improved and disciplinary problems nosedived by 67 percent. There was even a decrease in the use of medications, such as Ritalin. "To my amazement, every single student went up at least one full grade in reading and writing and some kids went up six full grades in their vocabulary scores," Cameron told me when I interviewed her earlier this year for an upcoming book project, "The Winner's Brain" (due out in April, 2010).

It turns out that exercise has such a positive, generalized effect on your brain, it almost makes the benefits to the rest of the body seem incidental. Dozens of studies have now documented how a regular exercise program can increase focus, improve learning and memory, reduce impulsivity, enhance mood, lower stress and increase the volume of important structures in the brain. These findings appear to be true whether you are a high school student who jogs during class or a baby boomer who takes a daily stroll.

At the most basic level, exercise brings oxygen and glucose into the brain. Think of glucose as the brain's main fuel source and oxygen as the means of ignition. During a session of cardiovascular exercise, such as running, swimming, or cycling, blood circulation speeds up and the lungs soak up a higher volume of oxygen from the air. The result is a more generous shot of oxygen to the brain, which enables brain cells to fire on all cylinders.

Regular workouts can increase the capacity of capillaries serving the brain so there is better blood flow and oxygen uptake all of the time, not just when you're working up a sweat. Increased blood volume is good for the brain in other ways, too. It promotes the growth of new connections between brain cells as well as the delivery of an assortment of beneficial molecules.

Exercise is especially useful for helping your brain stay in good working order as you age. Being physically active can actively slow age-related shrinkage to the parts of the brain responsible for things like planning, problem solving and attention span. These are abilities that start to decline when people reach their 70s, but studies show lifelong exercisers preserve these functions much better than sedentary people do.

People who begin exercising in middle age significantly reduce their risk of dementia and are less likely to suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Also, by improving cardiovascular health, exercise prevents heart attacks and strokes, which often cause brain damage. Even non-movers who don't rise up off the couch until later in life can still lower their risk of cognitive decline. Researchers at the University of Washington determined, for instance, that seniors who exercised at least three times a week diminished their risk of dementia by up to 32 percent. (That's not to say that exercise or anything else is a sure fire cure for Alzheimer's or dementia.)

None of this means you need to dedicate your life to the gym to see all of these amazing benefits. A growing body of research suggests that 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, three times a week, works pretty well for boosting and preserving brain power. There is not yet enough evidence to show that pushing yourself harder or taking up marathoning bestows significantly greater advantages. Plus there are many ways to stay active that don't involve pressing buttons on a treadmill or straddling the seat of a bicycle. All physical activity helps maintain mental faculties, not just formal exercise. Every time you shovel snow, clean out the garage, rake leaves or chase your toddler around the house, you're helping to age-proof your brain.

Since it's nearly the start of a new year and a new decade, I think it is nice to bring you a little different perspective on the wonderful benefits of exercise. If having a beautiful body hasn't motivated you to get moving, perhaps having a beautiful mind will.

Looking for more tips on getting your body, and mind, healthy? Check out these tips for getting a brain workout.

What do you guys think? Would love to hear from anyone who feels getting in shape has sharpened up his or her mind as well. Post a comment or tweet me Lizzyfit@twitter.com. Happy Holidays!