Research is increasingly showing that exercise is not only good for your body, but also for your brain. Our brain has not developed significantly over the past thousands of years, despite the enormous changes in our way of life. As a result, we have become increasingly distant from the life we were made for, because our brain still lives on the savannah. How can you use exercise to ensure that your brain functions optimally? We will explain it to you in this article!
Research shows that people who walked regularly not only became more fit, but their brains also started to work more efficiently. The connections between the brain lobes had become stronger, allowing the different parts of the brain to work better together. This discovery means that the brain works more efficiently in those who exercise and that the harmful effects of aging stagnate or can even be reversed. Exercise therefore not only leads to more stamina, or a fitter body, but also to a better functioning brain.
Exercise causes stress in the body, but by exercising your cortisol (stress) level decreases during physical exertion. When you exercise regularly, your cortisol levels will increase less and less, both during exercise and during stressful activities in daily life. By exercising, you teach your body not to overreact to stress. And stress is currently the main reason why people take sick leave.
In addition to the fact that exercise has an inhibitory effect on your stress response, the prefrontal cortex of your brain, where your executive functions are located, also ensures a lower stress response. This area is the ability to control your impulses and to think analytically. When you are stressed, this area ensures that you do not react overly emotionally, but that your reason and emotion remain in balance. The reason that some people are more susceptible to anxious thoughts and panic attacks can largely be explained by the fact that the prefrontal lobe cannot sufficiently inhibit the fear signal that comes from the amygdala. As a result, they see danger everywhere and experience continuous stress.
But how can exercise influence this? As soon as you start exercising, the blood supply to your brain improves. In the long term, new blood vessels are created, which means that both more blood and oxygen are supplied and more waste products are removed. Regular exercise also ensures better connections in the brain between the amygdala and prefrontal lobe, which means that the balance between emotion and reason can be better maintained. Finally, it has also been shown that the prefrontal lobe grows thanks to regular exercise – just like a muscle.
Enough reason to get up and start moving?
To keep you extra motivated, here are a few exercise tips:
- Make sure your heart rate increases while exercising, which ensures good blood flow to your brain
- Also do activities that increase your muscle strength and balance
- Exercise for at least 30 minutes at a time every day for the best effect
- Download the free Ommetje app and walk with family, friends or colleagues
- Set a reminder in your phone and get up from your workstation every hour
