Learn how exercise improves memory.
A consistent exercise routine, coupled with the proper nutritional support, improves your physical stamina, increases strength, and supports your healthy lifestyle. However, there is growing evidence that your personal fitness training routine also positively impacts your mental abilities.
Here’s the science behind how exercise improves memory and other mental functions.
Indirect Brain Boosts from Moderate Workouts
Brain fog is a condition that causes the sufferer to temporarily lose some cognitive abilities. Under the influence of this condition, sufferers experience difficulty thinking and remembering. While there are countless conditions and potential triggers for this condition, studies prove regular and moderate exercise improves memory and reduces the effects of brain fog naturally.
Everyone knows that a good sweat session gets your blood moving and makes you feel more energized. This effect, however, isn’t limited to your muscles. After your workout, your entire body receives a flood of oxygenated blood. This wash of enriched fluid positively impacts your brain by reducing inflammation and restoring proper insulin absorption, which is two of the hallmarks that indicate brain fog. Your regular exercise routine improves memory by washing away some of the chemicals that can interfere with proper brain functions.
Direct Ways Exercise Improves Memory
Exercise also works directly on the brain to improve cognitive functions. In a study from Western Sydney University in Australia, researchers found that a regular exercise routine actually results in growth in the hippocampus. This area of the brain is strongly associated with mental functions like memory, spatial perception, and the ability to navigate your physical environment.
Other studies have found that exercise improves memory by reducing or even reversing the loss of brain tissue associated with aging and certain diseases like Alzheimer’s. Some researchers have uncovered evidence that regular exercise also helps the brain preserve or even replenish tissues in the prefrontal and medial temporal cortex areas of the brain, which are instrumental in your ability to remember and reason.
Exercise, Sleep, and Cognitive Functions
The link between sleep and mental abilities is well established. A study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), a division of the US National Library of Medicine, outlines the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive abilities. According to this research, not getting the proper sleep negatively impacts the ability to pay attention, working memory, and long-term memory storage.
Getting a good night’s rest on a regular basis can be difficult. However, it is also well known that a regular exercise routine directly contributes to a healthy sleep cycle. Therefore, exercise improves memory by helping you get a regular and restful sleep every night.
Get Fit Inside and Out at Generation Fit and Learn How Exercise Improves Memory
A regular exercise routine benefits the mind and the body. However, sticking to a routine can be tough. At Generation Fit, our small group training classes are the perfect way to keep yourself motivated.
Find out firsthand how exercise improves memory and other cognitive functions by joining our group fitness classes in Dunedin, Florida. Call our representatives at 813-340-3008 to learn how Generation Fit can help you improve your physical and mental health with personal training and nutritional support.