Move Your Body to Supercharge Your Brain

We all know how good exercise is for our bodies don’t we? Regular exercise can:
√ boost your metabolism
√ help to counteract vascular damage/heart disease
√ raise your stress threshold
√ reduce obesity and the associated risk of Alzheimer’s disease
√ increase the level of your feel-good hormones and lifts your mood
√ boost your immune system
√ strengthen your bones and reduce the risk of osteoporosis
√ boost motivation
√ counteract depression
√ improve your memory
√ reduce the risk of cancer
√ improve your posture—making you look younger
A worldwide study concluded that lack of exercise is more harmful than smoking in terms of your risk of developing chronic diseases (The Lancet, 2012).  
Exercise is anything that causes you to breathe more deeply than you normally would or causes your heart rate to speed up. Fitness is the ability to perform physical activity.  
And if all of that is not motivating you to start exercising then think about the benefits for your brain. I have already mentioned that exercising and maintaining a healthy weight reduces your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and lowers your stress levels. But there are more immediate advantages.

Did you know that exercise optimises brain function, making learning easier, and enhances performance at work? This is due to three factors:

1.    Exercise stimulates the production of three essential neurotransmitters that regulate the signalling process in the brain namely: dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine

2.    Exercise causes reserves of the protein BDNF (Brain-Derived Neuropathic Factor) to be released which acts like a fertiliser in the brain, encouraging nerve cells to bind together (Spark, 2008)

3.    Exercise spurs the development of new nerve cells, creating more brain capacity and neuroplasticity. By exercising first thing in the morning, you can create the brain cells you need to do challenging tasks or learn a new process at work.

Here are some practical steps to getting started:
Step 1 Assess your current level of fitness. Do you have any physical issues that may restrict your ability to exercise? Are you taking medication? Do you need to talk to your medical adviser before you start? It might be helpful to go to a gym and have your fitness assessed by a personal trainer? Don’t start exercising if you feel unwell. Stop exercising immediately if you have chest pain, dizziness or excessive shortness of breath.

Step 2 Set achievable exercise goals and then planning to achieve them.  If it’s a long time since you have exercised, be realistic otherwise you will set yourself up for failure.  Your goals should be specific and measurable.  A poor goal would be ‘I will have sufficient exercise every week.’  A better goal would be ‘I will exercise for 30 minutes 4 times every week.’

Step 3 Create an effective exercise programme with a mix of aerobic activity that raises your heart rate, resistance exercise (using weights or resistance bands) to protect your bones and maintain your muscle tone, and non-aerobic activity that stimulates your brain such as tennis, yoga, Pilates or Zumba. Plan to vary your exercise to stay motivated.

Step 4 Choose exercise activities that you enjoy. Walking can be a great way to get started towards body and brain fitness. Then you can move on to jogging or running to achieve more aerobic exercise. Some people love going to the gym and using the machines to get their work-out. Others like the companionship of attending exercise classes while others prefer team sports or being outside. You are more likely to keep going if you enjoy what you do so make sure this does not feel like a punishment.

Step 5 Understand your exercise ‘blockers’ and ‘boosters’. Your blockers are the thoughts and the stories you tell yourself about why you can’t exercise. These are things such as ‘I don’t have the time’, ‘I can’t afford it’, ‘I am too tired’ and ‘My legs/knees/back aches’. These are all things that can be overcome when you focus on your boosters, that is the reasons why exercise is so essential for your health and performance. So stop now and think about how your boosters can overcome your blockers.

Step 6 Monitor your progress. Your fitness will improve as you get into a regular exercise routine and your body will be working more efficiently and effectively. You will be able to do more for longer and be more flexible Review your goals and your exercise plan.

Step 7 Keep going! Statistics show that nearly 50% of people who start a new exercise regime quit within six to twelve months. That’s because they don’t stick to these steps. They engage in intense activity that they don’t enjoy so that they burn out and can’t stay motivated. Regular exercise that you enjoy can become self-reinforcing behaviour that becomes a consistent and healthy habit.

It’s time to get started moving that body and building your brain.