Exercise

Brainpower Newsletter

I'm using a new format now. The newsletter will be in your e-mail, so you don't have to click through to the site if you don't want to. I'll be mailing it on Sundays from now on (almost every week, I hope). I also will try to have more and better content from now on.

You have heard me go on about exercise before. Recently, I found interesting news on cognitive improvement not just as a long-term benefit of regular exercise, but also as an immediate effect.

According to studies reported on at the annual Meeting Of The Society Of Psychophysiological Research in Montreal recently, there are immediate benefits from exercising, as well as long-term effects. Exercise seems to help your brain work more efficiently and actually make you smarter.

In one of the studies, participants had their thinking ability tested, then ran on a treadmill for thirty minutes. When their heart rates returned to normal resting levels they were tested again. Throughout the study, they were connected to an electroencephalogram (EEG), in order to track their brain waves.

It was found that exercising had sped up their decision-making. The difference was a fraction of a second on average, but this is considered significant. It was also found, upon scoring the tests, that the subjects answered more accurately after the exercise than before. Faster, smarter brains.

The participants were in their twenties, but researchers think the findings will hold true for other age groups. Yet another study involving exercise showed that just ten minutes of moderate exercise each day can improve mood and reduce fatigue. Brain function wasn't specifically tested, but it seems likely that less fatigue means better brainpower.

The research has mainly focused more on duration than on the specific type of exercise. However, aerobic exercise is the most common type tested in studies. Running, bicycling, swimming, dancing and other aerobic exercises probably all have a similar beneficial effect on brain function.

Some of the research shows that as little as ten minutes of exercise is enough to have effects on the brain. It's not clear how much more benefit there may be with longer exercise sessions. Most scientists probably expected to find that better brain function resulted from long-term exercise programs, but the study using treadmills showed an immediate effect as well. In other words, get up and run around right now, and you can be smarter ten minutes from now.

My experience tells me that walking is one of the best ways to boost brain power. The aerobic benefits are being explained by recent studies, but I think there is something more. It could be the rhythmic and relaxing nature of it. Whatever the reason, myself and many others find that our clearest and most creative thinking happens when walking.

We already knew that exercise gives you better sleep, a healthier immune system, weight control, and a lower risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. We can now add better brain function to the list. Why not get out and take a walk today?

In case you haven't yet noticed the link on the site, I want to let you know that I have a new site up as of a couple weeks ago. It's called 999 Ideas .com. What kind of ideas?

Inventions, political theories, odd concepts, strange businesses, new ways to make money, economic ideas, story ideas and philosophic thoughts. Nothing patented or trademarked - as far as I know. This is my fun site, and I'm just letting anyone use the results of my mental playing. There is also a free short course called "How To Have New Ideas."

If you are interested, here's a link to the home page:
http://www.999ideas.com.

Here's a new trick that a chiropractor taught me. Sit up straight and put one hand under your chin and one on the back of your neck. Now gently pull up on your head. Relax your neck as much as possible as you do this.

You may feel or hear a few clicks as your spine adjusts. Your ears may open up too. More to the point, you may find that you can think a bit more clearly. It has something to do with the adjusting of the vertebrae that allows nerve impulses to travel through more easily.

Proof? None yet that I am aware of. That's okay, though. I figure if it is free and safe, I can give it a try. I do feel better after doing it, and sometimes we need to gather enough anecdotal evidence before a serious study will be done. Why not give it a try?

(NOTE: A subscriber wrote to tell me that she had a stroke because a chiropractor's neck adjustment. While a chiroprator is likely to be much rougher than the gentle lifting I suggest here, I told her I would pass on the information. She recommends rolling your head around instead.)

Until next time,

Steve

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