The New York Times Magaizine features the article, "What Sort of Exercise Can Make You Smarter?" http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/what-sort-of-exercise-can-make-you-smarter/
An experiment was conducted in which they forced mice to get off their asses to run on minitreadmills and swim water mazes (which, I admit, does bother me in some little way).
Throughout the experiment, they allowed some of the mice to run inside their rodent wheels, "an activity most mice enjoy."
For the other mice, they increased the speed and duration of their runs on their minature treadmills.
After forcing some mice to "endure unpleasant stimulus" aka exercise and graciously allowing the others hang out on their superfun rodent wheels, they tested their skill and memory.
The treadmill mice proved smarter. The result of the experiment and others simmilar is that performing aerobic positively activity affects your brain.
The science: "'...Various growth factors must be carried from the periphery of the body into the brain to start a molecular cascade their' creating new neurons and brain connections." The dramatic blood flow caused by aerobic activity is a main cause. With non-aerobic activities such as weightlifting, however, the growth factors stay in the muscles and do not go to the brain.
The mice that were forced to physically push themselves improved their bodies and their minds.
I'll always remember an interview I heard somewhere along the way with Matthew McConaughey. When asked about how he stays fit, he replied "I like to break a sweat everyday."(I once repeated that in a job interview, when asked about training for marathons. Note, probably best not to quote Matthew McConaughey during a job interview).
These days, it can be a big deal to take the steps, park near the end of the lot, or walk an extra few blocks rather than bus it all of the way. And while all of that is helpful (not to mention sometimes a reflection of character, proving yourself not lazy) it is important to set aside time to sweat. If nothing else, it might make for a better shower and you can quote Matthew McConaughey at will.
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I can't believe I'm admitting to agreeing with Matthew McConaughey on something, but I am. The man's acting skills are extremely limited, afterall he seems to play the same character in every movie, but his body is something I wouldn't argue with.
ReplyDeleteMy sisters and I always joke about our excessive sweating: it's a Bond thing, we say. Sometimes this is a curse, but I can always judge my workout by how much I sweat, and I love the sense of accomplishment I feel when I get that dark ring around the collar of my t-shirt. I never have to doubt that I set aside my time to sweat.