It turns out that physical exercise isn’t just about watching the Summer Olympics. It’s also something just about everyone can and should do. Scientist John Medina states as the first of his 12 “brain rules” that it “boosts brain power.”
Medina also states that symptoms of depression and anxiety can decrease via workouts. In fact, it’s likely that combining it with therapy is equally as effective as a combination of antidepressant medication and therapy. According to one study, both combos are 80% successful. He recommends regular aerobic exercise two or three times a week for 30 minutes; and adding a strength training component can further boost cognitive functions.
There are scientific explanations for our workouts positively affecting mood and anxiety levels, of course, one of which has something to do with increased blood flow to the brain and other body parts. Exercise can also stimulate BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor), a growth factor in the brain that aids in neuron health and development. John J. Ratey, M.D., author of the 2008 book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain calls BDNF “Miracle-Gro for the brain.”
For more info that supports Medina’s, investigate Dr. Ratey’s book. Its description says it was “the first book to explore comprehensively the connection between exercise and the brain,” and observes that Ratey shows that “exercise is truly our best defense against everything from depression to ADD to addiction to aggression to menopause to Alzheimer’s.”
A sample quote from Spark: “Studies show that if researchers exercise rats that have been chronically stressed, that activity makes the hippocampus grow back to its preshriveled state. The mechanisms by which exercise changes how we think and feel are so much more effective than donuts, medicines, and wine. When you say you feel less stressed out after you go for a swim, or even a fast walk, you are.”
