By Kerry Moynihan
Certified Personal Trainer
Fit 4 Life After 50
Visualize this: You walk into a room. You are on the hunt… on the hunt for your glasses. You search high. You search low. They are on the top of your head.
Next scenario: You open the fridge with purpose: “What in the name of all that is holy was I looking for? Wait, wait…it will come to me!”
Sound familiar? Happens to the best of us.
Our lives are chock full of responsibility- work, children, parents, household. We are juggling it all. Why wouldn’t brain fog be a byproduct?! Why don’t we practice self care by exercising body and brain to make our everyday tasks more manageable? Medical evidence substantiates the fact that we should!
It goes without saying that regular exercise builds muscle, improves metabolism, and maintains bone health. It improves mood, encourages better sleep, and puts us on the path to better physical health.
Beyond that, a study out of the University of British Columbia cites that CONSISTENT AEROBIC exercise boosts the hippocampus. That’s the part of our miraculous brain that involves memory and learning. Their recommendation: 120 – 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly. That’s exercise that gets your heart pumping and your sweat on. Power walk, dance, stair climb, swim – do whatever fuels your aerobic passion to keep you on that consistent path. And with any new routine, play it safe and check in with your health care professional prior to beginning.
Our brains are beautiful and complex. According to this study, the brain benefits of exercise are directly related to reduced inflammation, reduced insulin resistance and the release of chemicals in the brain that encourage the health of brain cells.
It’s a “no brainer.” Exercise is where it’s at for life-long body and brain health.