You may have heard that exercise improves several aspects of our physical health, including muscle development and metabolism. But what we don’t pay attention to is that exercise can also help improve our cognitive health.
Regular exercise strengthens the brain and helps improve the learning process, memory, thinking, analytical skills, and even reduce anxiety and depression. However, to reap these benefits, fitness trainers need to prepare a particular set of exercises that focus on improving these parameters of our bodies. Otherwise, we can’t get the full benefits.
The duration of the exercise, its time and type, and the diet you take are all crucial factors to consider when assessing its impact on brain health. We can’t expect to just focus on one of these and get the best results. This is why it’s better to work with a certified personal trainer when it comes to picking exercises for improving our health.
Ways Exercise Improves Brain Health
Growing New Blood Vessels
When exercising, our body needs an abundance of blood and oxygen to deliver good results. During regular workouts, our body starts expanding the network of capillaries in our brain and the rest of the body to ensure an ample supply of blood. As a result, the muscle cells in the body start developing faster, allowing more oxygen absorption. Blood rich in oxygen improves our brain's cognitive functions and makes it healthier.
For example, our memory is improved, our analytical abilities are improved, and our brain is under fewer stresses. Another amazing benefit is that, in some cases, exercise also improves the effects of arterial aging, meaning our blood vessels remain healthy for longer periods.
Improve The Health Of Brain Cells
We need our brain cells to be in good health if we want our brain to function properly. Working out regularly can help improve the health of these brain cells, which in turn help improve our cognitive functions and make our brain healthier. During a workout, the heart rate significantly increases, which increases the supply of oxygen to the brain.
This oxygen is vital for the growth of brain cells. When the oxygen reaches our brains, it helps the enzymes inside the brain release special hormones that create a perfect environment for the growth of brain cells. Healthy brain cells can better control our neurological function and enhance overall health.
Promotes Growth Of New Brain Cells
Besides improving the health of existing brain cells, regular workouts promote the growth of new brain cells. Not only that, but it can even rebuild damaged brain cells and get them to begin working again. It all happens when our heart rate increases during exercise; this causes an influx in the supply of oxygen to our brain, which promotes the growth of these cells.
But that’s not all; exercise can also improve brain plasticity. Brain plasticity is the term that refers to the generation of new connections between cells that promote the growth of new brain cells in different cortical areas of the brain.
Reduces Stress And Anxiety
With our busy and cluttered lives, it’s easier to get stressed out. These stresses later take the form of anxiety and prevent us from performing simple tasks. With regular exercise, we can keep our anxiety at bay. When working out, our brain releases feel-good chemicals such as endorphins and cannabinoids that enhance our sense of wellbeing and make us happy.
These chemicals also help our brain fight off negative thoughts that shake our confidence and make us feel depressed. Not only that but the regular release of these chemicals help us cope with stresses more healthily.
Other Physical Activities To Help Improve Cognitive Health
For people who are too busy to hit the gym regularly, there are other physical activities to try that have beneficial effects on their brain’s health.
Dancing
Dancing can help you burn a bit of fat and improve flexibility. There are two benefits dancing has on our brain’s health: one, it is similar to exercise and pumps up our heart rate, so we get more oxygen supply to the brain. That oxygen improves the growth of brain cells, generates new brain cells, grows more blood vessels, and even reduces anxiety.
The second benefit is that dancing involves music, and listening to music makes us happier. So while we’re dancing and burning fat, the vibrations from the music can have a soothing effect on the brain and help reduce stress.
Yoga
Yoga is often equated with peace and serenity, and people usually turn to it to find inner peace. The postures used in yoga are developed to release stress and relax your body and mind. These postures supply your body and brain with more oxygen without exhausting you. So for people with chronic health issues or just a busy schedule, regular yoga can help improve cognitive functions as well as get them in shape.
Meditation is another part of yoga often associated with healing and mental peace, and that’s not a lie. Meditation is based on breathing techniques that increase the oxygen in the body while getting rid of carbon dioxide. So it definitely improves brain health without needing to increase the heart rate.
Running And Jogging
In simple terms, running and jogging are the fastest ways to get our heart rate up and fill our body and brain with fresh oxygen. Not to mention that running is usually done outdoors, so being out in nature is also great for our mental health and cognitive abilities. Besides that, running is commonly recommended by fitness trainers for people who want to improve their joint health. So a nice morning run will benefit not only the brain but also the body.
If you’re a personal trainer looking to expand your career in the field of medical fitness, take a look at the courses offered at W.I.T.S Education. W.I.T.S is an educational institute that offers several certifications in various fields related to the fitness industry. The certifications include a personal trainer course, medical fitness course, senior fitness course, and even a youth fitness course.
For those people who want to start their own fitness studio, W.I.T.S also offers fitness management courses. The best thing about the courses is that they are accredited by the NCCA, and college students can earn credits for the courses. The courses include online lectures along with hands-on practical labs in fitness centers located all over North America. Take a look at the courses they offer and get in touch with their representatives today!
About The Author
The author is a nurse working with people who have trouble controlling their muscle movements. She also works with personal trainers to help people improve their condition. She’s interested in the field of medical fitness and regularly writes on the subject.
