Exercise and the mind part 2

As I laid out in part one of this series, exercise can have a huge impact on our mental and neurological health.  In this post, I will expand and lay out some peramiters and reccomondations for how to get the most out of your trainng for these outcomes.

According to Spark, the book I referenced to in the first post, the most effective exercises are of high intensity and shorter duration. This seems to be the leading idea in the fitness world. Short bursts of high intensity, followed by a brief recovery period aren't only optimal for weight loss, maximum performance, and a slough of other biological processes but also  for our brains. With high intensity intervals, 2-3 times a week is sufficient, our bodies require a bit of recovery between sessions due to their high output.

However, high intensity intervals produce fantastic results, some research illustrates it may be much easier than that. In one study with seniors over the age of 60 they found that 45 minutes of brisk walking  three times a week seems to be a "magic" formula for reaping the reward of cognitive function. Interestingly, they found that the brains of the participants grew by 1-2% over the course of the year as opposed to the usual decline of our brains of 1-2% over the course of a year at that age.

As the authors of this study concluded, like with many forms of exercise, there is a law of diminishing returns. That is, after a certain amount of exercise or intensity, the improvements begin to taper. Imagine a typical bell shaped graph. As you exercise you get results, add  more, you get more results. Over time you adapt but, if you add too much too quickly you won't see as steady of progress.

It seems as if the exercise isn't only chemically and structurally changing our brains for the better. There is a psychological aspect to "exercising" the brain. Mental resilience,  pain tolerance, and decision making were also improved in research. Imagine as you begin an exercise program, at first it is difficult, you struggle, you're sore. You break through barriers, you challenge yourself, you feel rewarded after a workout. This accomplishment gives you a reward mechanism which releases dopamine, the feel good hormone. This leaves you with the hunger for more, you keep going, training your brain to fight the urge to give up, because of the reward at the end. This is a brilliant mechanism, which personally might explain why I can never just workout without making it a challenge of sorts.

Now I have gone over a few examples of the amount of exercise lets examine some guidelines and outline a good brain training regime. A full body high intensity workout like circuit training with resistance, sprints, cycling heavy resistance hard intervals, and strongman style workouts are favorable for this. These should be done at least twice a week for 30 minutes. The other days for our brain training program should be filled with low intensity, 45 minute sessions with a cardio focus. They should be regenerative, relaxing, and enjoyable while still challenging our oxygen uptake and cardio fitness. Hiking, cycling, jogging, swimming, are good ideas. The most simplistic program might be alternating the high intensity workouts with cardio sessions. Throw in a day off here and there as you see fit..

Now that I have laid out a plan. It really is simple to get your brain going. This program isn't only for optimum brain longevity, there are many many bodily functions that benefit from these as well. Remember fitness is most importantly about health, not looks. Looking good is an indirect cause of being healthy.

Cheers!
Andrew