Exercise and Cognitive Function

From the words of Joseph Addison, a poet from the 1700s, “reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” While this is an accurate statement, what if exercise can actually have a substantial impact on the mind as well? Researchers today are finding that using exercise is in fact an effective way of increasing brain cognitive function and mental alertness. Not only this, but exercise can have a positive impact on one’s mood or general state of mind.

By incorporating aerobic exercise two to three days a week for 30 minutes each into your weekly routine, you can prevent the negative effects that a sedentary lifestyle can have on your body and your mind. Anaerobic exercise or strength training regimens provide additional benefit, but an aerobic training regimen has an exceptional impact in that it can help to improve cardiovascular fitness and therefore prevent heart attacks and stroke.

Making this change will improve brain function over time. Those who live a sedentary lifestyle are more likely to see more substantial decrements in mental alertness and cognitive function throughout aging than those who incorporate exercise into their daily lifestyle. According to John Medina, author of Brain Rules, “Exercisers outperform couch potatoes in tests that measure long-term memory, reasoning, attention, and problem-solving skills (Medina, 2008).” After doing tests such as these, researchers showed that after just four short months of aerobic exercise, many different types of mental abilities improved in each individual. Medina also states that exercise helps cognitive function by preventing certain mental diseases. An individual’s risk for general dementia is cut in half and the risk of getting Alzheimer’s is reduced by 60 percent. That’s quite an incredible impact that something as simple as exercise can have on a person’s mental ability!

Due to the positive effects on brain function because of exercise, researches have started to look at how exercise may also have an effect on students. According to the CDC, “physical activity can have an impact on cognitive skills and attitudes and academic behavior, all of which are important components of improved academic performance” (CDC, 2010). These impacts lead to more attentive learning by students. For this reason, many classrooms around the world are trying to think of ways to incorporate physical activity into classroom activities.

With such busy schedules, students often stray away from exercise in order to make more time for studying, but surprisingly, students actually excel when having incorporated exercise into their daily life. With finals around the corner for college students, it’s important to keep this information in mind as you go about your studying. Take breaks when you need them, even if they are small. Getting up and moving, even if it’s just walking around the house, will help to reenergize and refocus.

As Medina states in Brain Rules, “physical activity is cognitive candy” (Medina, 2008). Becoming more physically active, regardless of age, promotes a change in our mental abilities. There are countless positive impacts that can come from simply living a healthier lifestyle by incorporating physical activity into our weekly routine. Finding time to exercise is beneficial to our mind as well as our body as a whole. Although it may seem like a difficult task at first, being more physically active, even in the slightest way, is the first step. From there, you can work to increase how physically active you are each week and hopefully notice the positive impacts exercise has on brain function for yourself.

Try these tips to increase brain function!

Be more active! - go on a walk, go to the gym, hike

Walk on a treadmill or go on a spin bike while studying

Take breaks in between school work to stretch and reenergize

Stand more throughout the day

Sources:

Medina. J. Brain Rules. Edmonds, WA. Pear Press.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2010. The Association Between School-Based Physical Activity, Including Physical Education and Academic Performance.