Your Brain & Exercise

The ancient Greeks emphasized that a healthy mind and a healthy body are one.

Exercise helps your brain to function at its peak capacity. Exercise results in nerve cells multiplying and strengthening their connections, as well as protecting them from damage.

There are multiple mechanisms at play here. Some are becoming more understood and others remain somewhat of a mystery.

Production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is stimulated by exercise. BDNF has a regenerative role and promotes neural health.

Exercise Also Helps the Brain By:

1. The production of nerve-protecting compounds

2. Improving the development and the survival of neurons

3. Decreasing the risk of blood vessel disease

4. Altering the way damaging proteins reside inside your brain, which appears to slow the development of Alzheimer's disease

The production of the neurotransmitters and endorphins; serotonin, dopamine, glutamate and GABA, are also triggered by exercise. Exercise is also one of the most effective prevention and treatment strategies for depression.

BDNF and endorphins are two of the primary factors triggered by exercise that help to boost your mood, make you feel good and to sharpen your thinking processes.

According to a 2012 study published in the journal Neuroscience, the "secret" to increased productivity and happiness on any given day is a long-term investment in regular exercise. Twenty minutes a day appears to be better than an hour of exercise twice a week.

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