The Best Exercises for a Healthy Brain
The best exercises for a healthy brain isn’t often what people think of when choosing a workout. People mostly focus on heart health, and overall wellness. Just in case you’re wondering, cardiovascular exercise is the best when it comes to boosting your brain function.
It turns out that research also supports the notion that sustained aerobic exercise can offer more brain health benefits than high-intensity interval training (HIIT), or strength training. Brain health can be important to you, but cardio can be your least favourite kind of exercise, so, sneaking in some few days of jogging, biking, or swimming can be necessary.
How Cardio helps the brain
Regular cardio exercise enables the brain to improve memory, and critical thinking skills. While exercising, there is an increase of blood flow to the brain, exposing it to more oxygen, and nutrients. Proteins which are beneficial can also be released during continued cardiovascular activity.
Exercise directly stimulates the brain’s ability to produce healthy brain cells, and grow new blood vessels. Exercise can also act as a first aid kit to healing damaged brain cells. Cardio can also indirectly improve one’s mood, sleep, and lower stress and anxiety levels. When the brain is healthier, the rest of the body is healthier too.
Some of the Best Kinds of Cardio Exercise
- Biking – it increases blood flow to the brain, even when done on a stationery bicycle.
- Running – this is one of the best cardio exercises for the brain. A study conducted on mice showed that running improved the health and function of the synapses between neurons in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the part of the brain which stores memories, and forms new ones.
- Swimming – if running is too painful for your joints, swimming can help you reap all the same advantages for your brain without stressing your joints.
- Walking at a brisk face is just as stimulating to the brain as running. It is less stressing to the body.