For years, we have been told to exercise in order to improve cardiovascular health; promote blood circulation and oxygenation; strengthen bones; build muscles; enhance digestion; raise metabolic rate; control blood sugar levels; increase lung capacity; and reduce disease.
What has revolutionized the concept of physical activity is recent scientific findings that exercise also boosts brain power (memory, cognitive responses, executive skills, problem solving) by making neurons (brain cells) interlace and form denser networks. Neuron interconnection results in quicker and more efficient mental responses as well as enhanced organizational skills.
The other good effect of this finding is that regular activity can ward off Alzheimer’s disease and improve focus and mental abilities in Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and other learning disabilities. Let us see how exercise affects the brain.
Although modern scientists assumed that exercise has some positive effects on the brain, they were unable to prove it until now. The ancient Greeks, long before, hypothesized that physical activity directly influenced the intellect, which made them give attention to both learning and fitness.
Recently, this assumption was proven scientifically through the state of the art brain-scanning machines and studies on the brain biochemistry. Brain scans showed neuron activity during the exercising process, thus scientists were able to substantiate the mind-body connection.
This revelation shows that exercise impacts the brain much more intensely than it was previously presumed. With every contraction and release of a bicep or quad, chemicals are pumped into the bloodstream and brain, influencing the secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). These molecules ignite neurons to communicate and interconnect, creating tightly-woven webs. Every time brain cells branch out, more learning occurs and more skills are acquired, leading to higher intellect. Harvard psychiatrist John Ratey named these molecules “Miracle-Gro for the brain.” Without the sparking and production of these molecules induced by physical activity and intellectual stimulation, the adult brain becomes insensitive to new information and gradually shuts down; hence neurons retreat and webs shrink.
Regular workouts and muscle building encourage the production of BDNF, which are crucial for memory, knowledge absorption, and other cognitive skills. Most parts of the brain interact with BDNF, thus enhancing decision-making, organizational, multitasking, programming, and planning skills. Moreover, physical activity pumps more blood into the body and brain; meaning more oxygen and more nutrients reaching cells and neurons.
Studies on adults between 60 and 70 showed that brisk walking and aerobic exercises intensified executive performance. BDNF levels are usually well preserved until adulthood. However with age and reduce physical and mental activities, neurons shrink and atrophy. It was once understood that when neurons shrivel and get wasted, they cannot be replaced. Recent research revealed the possibility of neuron regeneration through exercise and mental stimulation; thus neuron interconnection can be re-ignited.
With physical training, the brain mass increases and so does blood quantity. Every time neurons are born or branch out, new brain vessels sprout. According to neuroscientist K. Yaffe of University of California, San Francisco, regular activity reduces inflammation in the brain as well as multiple transient strokes, by increasing blood flow. Why do physical workouts produce immediate soothing effects? They generate high levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, which act like tranquillizers in depression. Unfortunately, these effects are temporary like muscle mass and weight loss, unless activity is continuously practiced.
In children, exercises and sports produce long-lasting physiological effects due to their growing bodies and brains. Because the hippocampus in the brain is the most affected by physical activity, they perform much better at school, learn and comprehend more, focus better, and improve their organizational, problem-solving, and verbal skills. According to neuroscientist Charles Hillman of the University of Illinois, the fittest children had the fittest brains in studies. ADHD children recorded similar progress. In ADHD children, the oversized hippocampus can be connected haphazardly to different brain parts, disrupting its functions.
Since exercise improves physical health and mental performance as well as control weight gain, we should press for mandatory physical education and sports for both genders in public and private schools and universities (bearing in mind that boys and girls under 20 comprise 70 percent of the Saudi population). Through regular activity, we would produce a generation of healthier and more productive adults, while lowering disease and health costs.
Older citizens should be encouraged to stay physically and mentally fit with regular activity to minimize the odds of cognitive impairment and mental illnesses (memory loss, dementia, Alzheimer’s, depression). They can live healthier longer years as well as reduce dependence and exorbitant health expenses.
Adults should maintain aerobic and muscle-building workouts to stave off cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes and keep the brain stimulated and functioning to the maximum. The benefits of physical activity extend to preventing disease; avoiding suffering; staying fit; increasing productivity; prolonging youth; and sparing medical costs in order to enjoy life to the fullest. By embracing wholesome approaches, we can claim to be a healthy and productive nation.
— Mariam Alireza is a holistic science specialist. Send comments to [email protected]. Log on to arabnews.com for previous articles.
