5 Types of Exercise That Boost Brain Health

Not surprisingly, exercise supports a healthy brain. Not only does exercise offer incredible, immediate perks like lifting your mood, clearing your head, and giving you that post-workout boost, it also causes your brain to do some remarkable things for long-term cognitive health and function.

“Exercising in general is probably the best thing you can do for your brain,” says Matthew Stultz-Kolehmein, Ph.D., FACSM, an exercise physiologist and exercise researcher at Yale New Haven Hospital. “In fact, some researchers think the initial function of the brain is to help people move.”

Physical exercise and brain health—positive associations between mental health and mood management, memory and executive function, and prevention of degenerative brain diseases are an important topic of research and discussion. We’ve learned a lot about the actual, structural brain changes that occur during exercise, including changes in brain volume and connectivity, the amount of oxygen going to brain tissue, neuroplasticity (how our neurons grow, change, and communicate), and increases. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF, a protein critical for the maintenance and creation of neurons) and more.

Researchers and doctors are now diving deeper into how much exercise we need and what exercise is best for optimal brain health. Some exercise is better than no exercise at all, but the best strategy to maximize exercise for brain health is an ever-evolving topic.

How often should you exercise for brain health?

According to the World Health Organization, the current general recommendation for exercise amount and duration is 50 minutes of exercise three times a week, says Stephen M., director of the Cleveland Clinic Ski Center for Cognitive Neuroimaging. Rao says. A precise prescription for the ideal intensity and type of movement to be performed in those minutes is still being researched across the board.

“A good interval is one where you finish the workout still feeling energized,” says Stults-Kolehmainen. That means you don’t need to engage in exercises that are completely draining and exhausting. If you are, you’re probably working really hard, at least in the context of brain benefits. “Cerebral blood flow appears to peak at 60 to 70 percent of oxygen uptake and then decline thereafter,” he says. translation? Working out at 60 to 70 percent of your maximum effort seems to do good things for your brain, especially the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for cognition, short-term memory, and executive function. Efforts beyond that show a reduction in the effect of exercise on the brain.

It’s important to note that everyone starts from a different place. Someone who previously lived a sedentary lifestyle without regular physical activity can start exercising for 10 minutes every day and experience the same benefit – the effect an activity/person experiences – as a more active person who exercises regularly. 30 minutes. The point is where to start your That’s because zero-to-10-minute steps can have a very positive effect on your brain. Once you reach the physical point where you can handle more, make things a little harder or exercise for a little longer to make more progress and challenge your brain.

We know that different exercises affect different brain functions. Almost all exercise provides some benefit – even helping to reduce stress, which can have a negative effect on the brain when chronic. Consistency and regularity are also key factors in exercising for a sharp, healthy brain. One well-known study on exercise and brain health looked at the effects on brain health of several different types of exercise over different periods of time. It has found that different types of exercise have different benefits for the brain. and That exercise has different benefits for the brain over time (weeks, months, years vs. days), regardless of the type of exercise.

The best ways to exercise for brain health

While it’s hard to prescribe a one-size-fits-all fitness strategy for everyone, these are some things to keep in mind and help inform your exercise routine. At this point, more studies have been done to show that aerobic exercise can be better than stretching, toning, or strength training (again, in the context of working for your brain).

Also, “Exercises that make more demands on your attention make more demands on the brain,” says Stults-Kolehmainen. This can be in the form of an exercise that requires a few steps (like tai chi or dance) or an exercise that keeps your attention enough to keep you from getting bored or sending you into autopilot mode. However, there is a fine line. You’ll want to find enough exercise to keep you focused without making you throw in the towel.

Variety and novelty are also important for brain fitness in general, so diversifying exercise types, mixing up your workouts and challenging yourself to learn a new activity can help keep the mind sharp and neurons re-energized.

Try planning your workouts throughout the week, including a variety of methods: a few days of gym machine cardio, a yoga workout sprinkled in, and one or two days of strength-training with weights or resistance bands.

At the end of the day, however, Stults-Kolehmainen reiterates what many fitness experts, doctors and researchers say: “The best exercise is the exercise you actually do and keep up.”

Here are five types of exercise that have healthy benefits for your brain.