Because I want to be smarter…and I don’t want Alzheimer’s

“Exercise increases oxygen flow into the brain…One of the most interesting findings of the past few decades is that an increase in oxygen is always accompanied by an uptick in mental sharpness.”

-John Medina, Brain Rules

Apparently, exercise is super good for you.

Okay, yes, I know, that one is obvious, but did you know that exercising makes you smarter? It’s true.

I’ve been reading the book, Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School, and it’s absolutely fascinating the way God has designed our brains; they are truly remarkable. And you know what else is remarkable? The fact that if we exercise just a bit, our brains benefit: we become sharper, smarter, and have better long-term memory. I’m so inspired by what I’m learning about exercise and the brain, that I just have to pass the information along.

Here are some things I’ve learned from Brain Rules:

If You Exercise, You Will Be Smarter, Have a Better Memory, & Think More Clearly

“A lifetime of exercise can result in a sometimes astonishing elevation in cognitive performaance, compared with those who are sedentary. Exercisers out perform couch potatoes in tests that measure long-term memory, reasoning, attention, problem-solving, even so-called fluid -intelligence tasks. These tasks test the ability to reason quickly and think abstractly, improvising off previously learned material in order to solve a new problem.”

I know I’m not the only one out there who has foggy-brain syndrome. If walking a few times a week gives me some clarity and better reasoning and attention abilities, I’m all over that.

If You Exercise, You Are Less Likely To End Up in a Nursing Home

“…one of the greatest predictors of successful aging was the presence or absence of a sedentary lifestyle. Put simply, if you are a couch potato, you are more likely to age like Jim {a man who spent his days in a nursing home, mostly staring off into space}, if you make it to your 80s at all. If you have an active lifestyle, you are more likely to age like Frank Lloyd Wright {famous architect that had clarity of mind and was in his A-game even in his 90′s} and much more likely to make it to your 90s.”

Really, must I even comment? No.

Wait, yes I must. I’m a blogger, therefore being a couch potato is kind of in the resume. I am completely inspired to get off my rear-end and get moving so I have a better chance of being like Frank!

If You Exercise, Your Chance of Getting Alzheimers Goes Way Down

“Your lifetime risk for general dementia is literally cut in half if you participate in leisure-time physical activity…with Alzheimer’s, the effect is even greater: such exercise lowers your odds of getting the disease by more than 60%.”

60%?! That’s just crazy. I’m going walking right now.

If You Exercise, You Will Be Less Depressed

“…in one experiment with depressed individuals, rigorous exercise was actually substituted for antidepressant medication. Even when compared against medicated controls, the treatment outcomes were astonishingly successful. For both depression and anxiety, exercise is beneficial immediately and over the long-term.”

This is just super hopeful.

If Your Kids Exercise, They’ll Be Smarter, Too

“They took time away from academic subjects for physical education … and found that, across the board, [physical education] did not hurt the kids’ performance on the academic tests. … [When] trained teachers provided the physical education, the children actually did better on language, reading and the basic battery of tests.”

We’ll be walking a lot more this year. Sneakers for everyone!

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What, if anything, inspires you to exercise?

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