Brain Health The New Fitness Revolution You Can Join For Free!

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Author: Michael Coleman

Article source: http://www.articledeshboard.com/. Used with author's permission.

Our brains control our behavior, but what if our behavior could control and change the structure of our brains?

In the culture of ancient Greece, sport exercises were almost as important as learning itself. The Greeks believed in the mind-body connection. They intuitively developed a basic principle that Western researchers have subsequently confirmed - that exercise helps the heart pump more blood to the brain, along with the rest of the body. More blood means more oxygen and new brain cells. Recent studies show that exercise can improve the performance of the brain by boosting memory and cognitive processing speed. Further, scientists have discovered that the human brain is not only capable of renewing itself, but that exercise speeds the process. For decades, scientists have suspected that exercise, particularly regular aerobic exercise, can affect the brain. But they could only speculate how.

Now, however, armed with brain-scanning tools and a sophisticated understanding of biochemistry, researchers are realizing that the mental effects of exercise are far more profound and complex than they once thought. The human brain is extremely difficult to study, especially when a person is still alive. But technology has come to the rescue. Using what is called a functional MRI machine, researchers can measures the size and shape of the brain and track blood flow and electrical activity. Studies have shown that the hippocampus plays a large role in how mammals create and process memories; it also plays a role in cognition. If a person's hippocampus is damaged, they might have trouble learning facts and forming new memories. Of course, age plays a factor, too. As we get older, our brain gets smaller and one of the areas affected is the hippocampus.

But back to the benefits of exercise on the brain. Functional MRI scans have shown that as a result of a workout, a portion of a person's hippocampus receives almost twice the blood volume as it did prior. Scientists suspect that the blood pumping into that part of the brain was helping to produce fresh neurons (nerve cells). During exercise, blood flowed at a much higher volume to a part of the brain responsible for neurogenesis (production of neurons). Many neurologists believe that the loss of neurons in the hippocampus may be a primary cause of the cognitive decay associated with aging.

Exercise has been found to trigger elevated mood states and an overall improved sense of well-being and helps keep stress, anxiety and depression to a minimum. Many exercisers claim that after exercise they are able to think more clearly. Many non-exercisers, on the other hand, when they attempt to exercise come home feeling exhausted and unable to function normally. In fact, when it comes to the value of exercise on the brain. both groups are right.

There certainly is scientific evidence to support the claim that exercise can improve a person's ability to think more clearly. But, there is also evidence to show that fatigue and over-training will not help the brain. In fact, exercising to exhaustion really has little benefit in any sense and is more likely to take you one step forward but two steps back. So, what sort of exercise will clear the mind? In a variety of different psychological and mental tests that examined everything from focus and concentration to speed of responding and decision-making, it was found that steady-paced aerobic exercise improved the brain's ability to solve problems and make decisions fast and effectively. After exercise, people seemed to be able to concentrate and focus much better than before. They were better able to block information that was irrelevant to the task at hand, and responded much faster to information relevant to the task. The benefits were seen in both men and women.

However, there are other factors that are just as important. These include: posture, breathing, adequacy of sleep, sexual activity, reduction in stress levels, directly challenging the brain and the acuity of one's senses.
When exercise is combined with these factors in an integrated program the benefits in brain health are compounded. One such revolutionary program is called "How To Rewire Your Brain" which you can get for free!

You can get a copy of the 40+ page groundbreaking brain health program "How To Rewire Your Brain" absolutely FREE at www.womenbrainhealth.com Michael Coleman holds graduate qualifications in mathematics, science and education and certificates in Metaphysics and Reiki. He has longstanding interests in Tao, Tantra, mind-power and martial arts and is passionate about the power of the body to restore itself.