I’ve been blogging about exercise and it’s benefits for brain health at Exercising for a Healthy Brain. I’m hoping to continue that discussion here.
A healthy exercise routine can battle stress, anxiety and depression. It can also help us sleep better and improve our mental clarity.
It is not only important to exercise regularly, but to model a healthy lifestyle for our children as well. Kids are looking to you for cues on how to live their lives. So be an example of the type of person you want them to grow up to be.
A healthy diet and regular exercise can really help your brain function at its best! If you want more information about exercising for optimal mental health please subscribe to this blog.
The article above was written by Dr. Gregory Tejera, author of the book Unlock Your Brain: The Secret of Mental Toughness.”
Exercising for a Healthy Brain is an online blog based in Perth, Western Australia. The blog has been running since October 2008 and seeks to communicate information on various aspects of physical activity, mental health and well being.
The blog is written by Sandra Davie who holds a Masters degree in Exercise and Health Science (MES), and is currently undertaking her PhD at Edith Cowan University. Sandra also works as a research assistant within the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at Edith Cowan University. In addition to writing this blog, Sandra has worked as a researcher with the Department of Sport Science at the University of Western Australia.
Tone:explanatory
In a recent post on The Huffington Post, I discussed an article in the Journal of Neuroscience. The article covered some research that was done on the effects of exercise on the brain. The results revealed that exercise increases the volume of gray matter in the frontal lobes and hippocampus, areas of the brain that are responsible for things like impulse control, mood regulation and memory.
Cognitive functioning is also improved by exercise. In another study, scientists at Queen’s University in Canada found that two months of aerobic exercise improved cognitive performance in healthy elderly people. In fact, cognitive performance was increased more than it would have been if these people had taken the medication propranolol, which is normally prescribed to treat anxiety and high blood pressure.
In addition to improving overall brain health, being active can even help you fight off conditions such as depression. A review of clinical trials by researchers at Harvard Medical School found that for adults with depression, exercise led to moderate improvement in symptoms as well as an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein involved in learning and memory.
In addition to increasing BDNF levels, exercise can also help reduce stress and anxiety levels by decreasing cortisol production. Cortisol is often referred to as “the stress hormone” because it is produced
A good time to exercise is first thing in the morning, before your brain starts its work for the day. Your brain is like a muscle and needs to be exercised daily. Research has shown that although after a workout you may feel tired, by exercising regularly (exercising 3 times/week) you will not only feel more energized but also boost your memory and cognition.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that daily exercise helps to prevent or delay age-related cognitive decline that can lead to dementia. Older adults who are physically active have sharper minds and perform better on tests of memory and other mental skills compared with their sedentary peers.
Dementia affects more than 48 million people worldwide and causes profound disability, often requiring care in long-term care facilities. A recent study found that aerobic exercise can reduce the risk of dementia by as much as 40%.
Neuroscientists have been able to make clear links between chronic physical inactivity, poor cardiovascular health and mental health problems such as depression as well as cognitive decline. Exercise helps to keep your lungs healthy which improves blood flow to the brain and increases oxygen levels. This means that exercising regularly can help prevent memory loss or even improve poor memory by boosting circulation, which helps increase cognitive function.
Toning up doesn
The desire for more is not a disease. It is the reason art was invented and why science museums exist. It’s the reason we travel, the reason we have religion, and the reason we read books. It’s an endless source of entertainment and satisfaction—not to mention envy, anger and lust—and it will never go away; but it can be managed.
What I’m about to tell you might at first sound like a contradiction: The best way to get over wanting more is to have more. In other words, take action and you will feel satisfied. When your desires are met with success, they lose their power over you. When you exercise your body, it can’t be bothered by thoughts of all the other ways you wish you could exercise. And when you exercise your mind, it can’t be bothered by thoughts of all the other things you wish you could be doing with your mind—things that aren’t as challenging or satisfying or important as whatever it is you’re doing right now.
I took a walk on the treadmill this morning. I turned on the tv to watch Ellen. An ad came on for the Museum of Science and Industry. Their next exhibition is called “Body Worlds and The Cycle of Life.” It will open Sept. 17th, 2018.
Do you want to go?
The show will be showing through January 6, 2019. It’s more than interesting!
The Body Worlds shows are mind-blowing! I’ve seen them twice before, when they were at Navy Pier in Chicago and at the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa.
All of your muscles are “museum quality” specimens that have been preserved through plastination, which preserves the muscles in their natural states, complete with their blood supply! It is amazing how much blood is in our body!!
This is an educational opportunity that cannot be missed! Don’t miss it!
Science museums are a place where children learn about science, art and history. The have exhibitions that show the natural world, from animals to planets, and man-made machines. Some of the exhibitions are interactive, so that visitors can try out things for themselves. Many museums have a planetarium where you can look at the stars.
Famous museums include the Natural History Museum in London, which has dinosaur skeletons, live butterflies and a natural history section with stuffed animals. The Science Museum in London has a large collection of scientific instruments and working models of steam engines and other machines. The National Science Museum in Tokyo is one of Japan’s most popular tourist attractions. It has two giant mechanical dinosaurs outside, many hands-on exhibits inside and an excellent planetarium. In New York there is the American Museum of Natural History, which is famous for its dinosaur skeletons and its Rose Center for Earth and Space.
The first purpose built museum was opened in London in 1759 by Sir Hans Sloane to display his own collection of curiosities. Today there are thousands of museums around the world dedicated to science, art or history. Some famous ones include the Louvre in Paris (art), Tate Modern in London (art), the British Museum (history) and the Metropolitan Museum of
