Lifting Weights Boosts Memory
Strength training in particular has been shown to have a very beneficial impact on brain function and memory. Just 20 minutes of strength training was found to enhance long-term memory by about 10 percent.
The Intriguing Link Between Leg Power and Brain Function
A recent study supports the findings that working your leg muscles helps maintain cognitive function as you get older. According to the authors, simply walking more could help maintain brain function well into old age.
The researchers found that leg strength was a better predictor of brain health than any other lifestyle factor looked at in the study. It suggests that simple lifestyle changes to boost our physical activity may help to keep us both mentally and physically healthy.
Previous research has demonstrated that exercise promotes brain health by releasing hormones from the muscles, which encourage the growth of new brain cells — a process known as neurogenesis or neuroplasticity.
Your brain's hippocampus, i.e. your memory center, is particularly adaptable and capable of growing new cells throughout your entire lifetime, even into your 90s, provided your lifestyle supports it.
For example, one year-long study found that adults who exercised regularly were actually enlarging their brain's memory center by one to two percent per year, where typically that center shrinks with age.
Enough! Stop reading this and start moving! :)