Evidence Proves the Right Types of Exercise Physically Remodels our Brains for Peak Performance.
Evidence proves the right types of exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance.
Countless studies have shown that a quality workout can beat stress, lift your mood, fight memory loss and sharpen your intellect. Stanford University and the May Clinic have taken these studies a step further in trying to determine the timing and types of exercise that provide optimum results. Their research suggests a strategic approach to your physical regimen can lead you to being smarter and more productive.
To enhance the cognitive boost you get from your next training session, experts recommend the following:
Train in the morning. Just 35 minutes of moderately intense exercise primes your brain for peek intellectual performance by balancing neurochemicals that contribute to cognitive functioning. And you will reap the many benefits of a morning workout throughout your day.
Studies indicate a varied, complicated workout is far superior to that of the mundane treadmill variety. Training that requires coordination, rhythm and strategic thinking also promotes neurogenesis, the growth of new brain cells. Evidence indicates mind-body engaging activity not only increases the brain’s volume of ‘gray matter’ (actual neurons) but also affects the ‘white matter’ (connections between neurons) even in aging adults.
Combining brain and body tasks also strengthens the anterior cingulate cortex, one part of the brain associated with perception of effort—making hard work feel easier. Experts say these results are long lasting. When you engage your brain while you are training, these efforts feel easier when they are performed independently.
Any training that increases your heart rate will also increase blood flow to the brain, thus providing a spike in cognition. But a recent study from Stanford University found that just 10-15 minutes of brisk exercise can also make you significantly more creative—though researches have yet to uncover why. (One theory for this observation suggests the coordination required for exercise occupies the brain region responsible for linear thinking, freeing up capacity for creative insight.)
To sum it up—Krav Maga checks all the boxes to improve mental cognition. Our intense sessions elevate your heart rate and require you to engage your brain in ways most exercise does not. So aside from leaving a session more safe than when you walked in, you will also be smarter. Kida!
