How Exercise Helps Thinking
How well, and often, we move determines how well we think. It’s a relationship worth attention. According to John Robbins, author of Healthy at 100, exercise increases oxygen to the brain. Sure, we already know that. A set of strenuous jumping jacks can leave us breathing hard and gulping more air, producing feel-good endorphins and opening the capillaries to increase oxygen flow to the brain. In turn, this produces more capillaries in the brain, according to Robbins. There is good evidence that it may even produce more brain cells. We love more brain cells. It makes up for all the ones we have killed over the years smoking questionable substances, drinking cheap wine in our 20’s, and being depressed about it in our 30’s, when we realized that we were killing brain cells. We may need them later on in life; don’t kill too many. Turns out, we can produce more brain cells; it’s called neurogenesis, and happens in the brain stem at the base of the brain. That’s why any head injury can be devastating. You never know to what extent the damage will occur.
One of the ways to produce new brain cells is through aerobic exercise. Get your heart rate up. Walking doesn’t count unless you are power walking. Walking, however, is better than not walking. Myself, I view it more as transportation. It gets me from one place to another. But it isn’t my idea of the kind of exercise that races my heart, produces instant feel-good endorphins, puts me out of breath, makes me sweat, and lowers my weight, if need be. Which is always! It is kind of like swimming to me; same motions repeated many times. Not that there’s anything wrong with swimming, or walking. I like more novelty; that’s just me. If you like walking, don’t stroll. Put some effort into it and walk with deliberation.
Another thing about exercise is that it boosts brain neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and epinephrine. They are brain chemicals that relay signals between nerve cells. Neurotransmitters tell your heart to beat, your stomach to digest that carrot, and your lungs to breath. All unconsciously. That means that you can concentrate on the kind of exercise you will practice today to make you feel fabulous, calm, and contribute to clearer, concise thinking in a relaxed mode.
Think of overall exercise as exercise for your brain. What’s good for the lungs and heart is also good for the brain. That sounds like a good defense against dementia.
And that’s Aging Intelligently.