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| Hippocampus |
The Brain
Researchers have long known about the relationship between being
physically fit and the health of the brain. Particularly, in children aged 9 to
10 years of age. Children in this range are not known for their solid emotional
regulation and powerful long-term memories. Studies from the University of Illinois
have confirmed that children in this range who are physically fit, more physically
active, have larger hippocampi than their cohorts. What, exactly, does this
mean? The hippocampus is the primary seat of emotional regulation. It also plays
a large role in forming long-term memories. Among its other duties, spatial
navigation is handled by the hippocampus. Clearly, this is an important little
organ in the brain.
This particular study from the University of Illinois as among the
first to use MRIs to measure and evaluate the differences between the brains of
fit and unfit children, as pointed out by Art Kraemer, the director of the
University psychology professor and Beckman Institute Director, Laura Chaddock,
a Doctoral student, Professor Charles Hillman, Kinesiology and Community
Health.
The primary focus of this study was the hippocampus due to its significance
in learning and memory. Older studies only focused on older adults and how
exercise changed the hippocampus. Those results show that a larger and
healthier hippocampus in adults is also key to strong performance in spatial
performance, memory tests, and other cognitive tasks.
The results from this study found that the fit children performed
far better than their unfit piers. They scored higher in spatial relationship
tests, relational memory, and emotional regulation.
Clearly, being physically active in youth benefits the brain.
Maintaining our physical fitness into our middle-age and beyond is also
important. Growing up, I saw far too many people hit a certain point in life
and sit down. They hardly got up again after that. Their lifespan was not very
long after that.
On the other end of that spectrum, there were many older adults I
knew when I was younger who are still about today. How is this? They were
playing tennis and volleyball back then. Some of them still play tennis in
their 90s. Most of them are happy to walk several miles a day and swim as often
as possible. A few of them are taking Tai Chi classes. What are they getting
from this?
- Keeping Strength
- Maintaining joint mobility
- Improved balance
- Tai Chi increases growth and density in at least eight areas of gray matter in the brain
- Improved mood
- Lower depression
These activities have also kept their minds active, which is also
a highly important part of mental acuity. Exercise
increases the level of brain chemicals known as growth factors, which help make
new brain cells and establish new connections between brain cells to help us
learn. Interestingly, complicated activities, like playing tennis or taking a
dance class, provide the biggest brain boost. Similar to our muscles, our brain
cells need to be stressed and stimulated for optimal health. Playing checkers,
chess, doing word puzzles, and other complex activities that force your brain
to operate in multiple directions at one time are going to be the most
beneficial. Such activities build and reinforce our ability to focus and pay
attention to detail. These tasks will also keep up our mental stamina.
Even mild
activity like a leisurely walk can help keep your brain fit and active, fending
off memory loss and keeping skills like vocabulary retrieval strong. In a 2011
study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Canadian researchers
analyzed the energy expenditure and cognitive functioning of elderly adults
over the course of two to five years. Most of the participants did not work
out; their activities revolved around short walks, cooking, gardening, and
cleaning. Still, compared with their sedentary peers, the most active
participants scored significantly better on tests of cognitive function, and
they showed the least amount of cognitive decline. By the study's end, roughly
90 percent of them could think and remember just as well as they could when the
study began.
It May Slow
Alzheimer's
The Alzheimer's
Research Center touts exercise as one of the best weapons against the disease.
Exercise appears to protect the hippocampus, which governs memory and spatial
navigation, and is one of the first brain regions to succumb to
Alzheimer's-related damage. A recent study published in the Archives of
Neurology suggests that a daily walk or jog could lower the risk of
Alzheimer's—or blunt its impact once it has begun. In 2000, Dutch researchers
found that inactive men who were genetically prone to Alzheimer's were four
times more likely to develop the disease than those who carried the trait but
worked out regularly.
Exercise &
Fitness
Exercising
regularly, every day if possible, is the single most important thing you can do
for your health. In the short term, exercise helps to control appetite, boost
mood, and improve sleep. In the long term, it reduces the risk of heart
disease, stroke, diabetes, dementia, depression, and many cancers. The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the following:
For adults of all
ages at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise like brisk walking or 75
minutes of rigorous exercise like running (or an equivalent mix of both) every
week. It’s fine to break up exercise into smaller sessions as long as each one
lasts at least 10 minutes.
Strength-training
that works all major muscle groups—legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders,
and arms—at least two days a week. Strength training may involve lifting
weights, using resistance bands, or exercises like push-ups and sit-ups, in
which your body weight furnishes the resistance.
For pregnant
women the guidelines for aerobic exercise are considered safe for most pregnant
women. The CDC makes no recommendation for strength training. It’s a good idea
to review your exercise plan with your doctor.
For Children
At least 60
minutes of physical activity a day, most of which should be devoted to aerobic
exercise. Children should do vigorous exercise and strength training, such as
push-ups or gymnastics, on at least three days every week.
Stephen C.
Putnam, MEd, took up canoeing. This was to combat adult ADHD. He later
wrote Nature's Ritalin for the Marathon Mind. This book is about the
benefits of exercise and the unfocused troubled brain.
Putnam cites studies in which children who ran around for 15 to 20-minutes prior to class had a decrease in their “ants-in-the-pants behavior.” These results were found to last for up to two hours, a good period of time.
Putnam cites studies in which children who ran around for 15 to 20-minutes prior to class had a decrease in their “ants-in-the-pants behavior.” These results were found to last for up to two hours, a good period of time.
In a previous
article, we discussed how exercise releases several feel-good hormones. Through
exercise, we see positive feelings, calming sensations, increases in cortical
matter in the brain, clearer thinking, easier learning, more focused
students.
Albert Einstein
was known for using exercise to find answers to his questions and problems. He
would say that he would spend hours with calculations, looking for the answer
making no progress. But, after several laps in the local pool, the answers he
sought would find him.
I know that I am
not alone when I recall similar events from college or early days in the
military. Problems had mounted up and time had gotten away so I’d go for some
PT (Physical Training) it a good long run. Somewhere on the obstacle course, in
the gym, or out on the jogging trail was that epiphany. Just waiting for me to
step in it. I’m sure several of you have similar recollections.
Stay Strong.
Stay healthy.
