Cavendish Manor Retirement Residence

Why is physical activity the best medicine for the brain?

Why is physical activity the best medicine for the brain?

We all know very well that there are different sports for different periods of life according to age, gender and health status. Try to delay aging as much as possible and prevent its complications. For example, you should make your muscles strong when you are young so that you don’t get weak quickly when you are older. At the age of retirement, you should no longer be bound to strengthen muscles and maintain the beauty of your body, but you should do exercise to maintain health and longevity.

At the time of retirement, the appetite and the body’s metabolism decrease, so it is necessary to increase the body’s mobility. Being active and moving enough is the most effective way to deal with aging and disability. When you exercise your muscles, you take care of the softness of your joints and the strength of your bones. Movement increases appetite, improves digestion and reduces stress. Action makes you feel good. Exercise is necessary to maintain the health of the heart, brain and other body organs, and it also prevents cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s and cancers.

Numerous scientific studies have shown how vital exercise is for health. From fighting obesity and cardiovascular diseases to preventing diabetes or musculoskeletal disorders, exercise is the only way to avoid them. But there is one point that is less known, and it appears due to the complexity of the human body. 

This point is the connection between physical activity and the way our brain works. However, several researchers in recent years have emphasized how brain health and memory function are likely related to physical activity and exercise. For example, a new study published by researchers at the University of Munster in Scientific Reports shows a relationship between people’s physical form and their cognitive performance. In this article from Cavendish Manor Retirement Residence, I want to discuss the relationship between exercise and brain health and to know what this relationship is and what the benefits of exercise are. So stay with me until the end of this article.

The connection between exercise and the brain

There are good reasons to be physically active. More important things include reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Maybe you want to lose weight, lower your blood pressure, avoid depression, or look better. Another critical point, especially for people who experience brain fog from aging, is that exercise changes the brain in ways that protect memory and thinking skills. This issue is one of the cases showing the connection between exercise and the brain.

It reduces stress!

Participating in sports reduces stress, which is one of the most important benefits of sports. Exercise releases brain chemicals and boosts your mood. You also burn more stress hormones, or adrenaline, during practice, which can increase relaxation.

It keeps concentration and critical thinking skills efficient!

Studies show that participating in sports can maintain your focus and critical thinking skills as you age. Especially marks that combine muscle strengthening, and aerobic activity are particular for the brain.

Social interaction

Social interaction is essential for a healthy brain, improves mood, and reduces stress. It also allows you to make new friends and lets you feel free of worries while enjoying the fun with other people. Exercise and brain health are linked, as playing exercise reduces problems associated with social isolation.

Improves brain function!

A study showed that exercise could improve brain function because exercise and brain health are related. The research also found that even just being a sports fan may positively affect your brain. Playing or watching sports can affect neural networks that support language comprehension.

It strengthens the blood flow in the brain!

Research shows that exercise increases blood flow to your brain. It allows your body to make more connections between nerves in the brain. Physical activity improves memory, stimulates creativity, and helps your brain develop problem-solving skills. As a result, you can feel the connection between exercise and brain health.

effect of regular exercise on the brain

The effect of regular exercise on the brain

Exercise helps memory and thinking through direct and indirect methods. The benefits of exercise come directly from its ability to reduce insulin resistance, reduce inflammation, and stimulate the release of growth factors and chemicals in the brain. It also affects the health of brain cells, the growth of new blood vessels in the brain, and even the abundance and survival of new brain cells. Regular exercise on the brain indirectly improves mood and sleep and reduces stress and anxiety. Problems in these areas often cause or contribute to cognitive impairment.

Many studies have shown that the parts of the brain that control thinking and memory (the prefrontal cortex and medial temporal cortex) are larger in people who exercise than in those who don’t. “Even more exciting is the finding that participating in a regular, moderate-intensity exercise program over six months or a year is associated with increased volume in select brain regions,” said Dr. Scott McGuinness, a neurologist at Brigham and Women’s.

According to the researchers, a possible explanation for the link between cognitive and physical performance is the search for white matter. White matter acts as a kind of relay between different parts of the brain. It is what enables the transmission of messages through neurotransmitters and ensures coordination between other parts of the body. However, the better physical shape appears to be associated with better white matter quality. More and more studies in recent years have confirmed this link, showing clear links between white matter integrity and structure, activity, and fitness.

Nutrition, exercise and brain health

According to researchers at the University of Münster, the results of their study suggest that “fitness and physical activity can have a beneficial and potentially protective effect on brain structure and cognitive function.” The Beckman Institute’s study on the importance of physical activity for children’s brain and cognitive development has concluded. Therefore, physical activity can eventually prevent some degenerative pathologies and be used as a therapeutic method if these results are confirmed by further research.

The last word

In conclusion, you may use exercise, especially brain exercise, to grow and protect the brain at any age. As I said in this article about the connection between exercise and brain health, exercising causes weight loss, physical fitness, and physical benefits. Still, it also helps brain health and better functioning. Therefore, to get fit and improve your brain function, use diets that are not one-dimensional and include exercise in addition to a fundamental and healthy diet.

Cavendish Manor Retirement Residence specialists review the latest studies on the health of the elderly every day and plan the daily schedule of these loved ones based on them. In Cavendish Manor nursing home, various physical activities are planned and implemented for dear residents so that they can enjoy social connections and improve their brain and body health.

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