To Boost Your Brain, Move That Body!

If you really want to be at your absolute peak mentally, if you want to have a dynamic and well functioning brain, an essential component of your program must include regular physical exercise. Does that surprise you?

You might wonder why physical exercise is important if your main priority is to improve the functioning of your mind.

People often forget that the brain is actually part of the physical body, and it has very important physical needs. Your brain is nourished by the blood that comes in through your arteries, pumped by your heart. The blood carries the nutrients and oxygen that your brain cells need to burn for fuel.

Many scientific tests conducted on humans and animals have found that the brain benefits from physical exercise. Here are some of the ways exercise helps brain function:

? Exercise improves the oxygenation of the blood.

? Exercise helps lower blood pressure.

? Exercise improves circulation of blood within the brain.

? Physical activity strengthens the heart, which is the pump that keeps everything going.

? Exercise reduces the levels of artery-clogging cholesterol.

? Regular exercise can relieve depression.

? Exercise counteracts the damaging effects of long-term stress on the brain.

? It improves mood and self-esteem.

? Exercise helps keep blood sugar level, which is very important, particularly for diabetics.

? Exercise can boost the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, which not only affect mood, but also help "lock in" memories when they form.

? In animal studies, exercise appears to enhance the production of nerve growth factor, which helps the cells of the brain form new connections with each other.

Even though we know that exercise is good for us, not all of us are keen about exercising our bodies, just as not all of us are keen about exercising our brains. As children, most of us loved to do both. Yet as we grow older we often lose the urge to exercise ourselves, either mentally or physically.

When you watch movies or television programs, or glance at magazines and newspapers, you will see many images of young, strong, healthy people running joyfully in the park or happily working out at the gym.

If you aren't currently actively exercising, you might assume that almost everyone else but you is busy running, swimming, biking, hiking, and lifting weights. The truth is that only a minority of adults exercises consistently.

It wasn't always this way. Until quite recently most people had to work hard physically for many hours a day. Now many of us spend hours sitting at desks, sitting in cars, and of course, sitting watching television, or staring at a computer screen. The human body was not designed for excessive sitting and lying around. It was designed to move.

What sorts of exercises will help your brain as well as your body? To improve the oxegenating capacity of your heart and lungs, aerobic exercises are the best. This means the kind of exercise where you tax your body enough to raise your heart beat rate to a target level.

To gain aerobic benefits for your heart, lungs and circulatory system, aim to do the type of exercise that will push your heart rate up to 50 % faster than than your rate at rest. You don't need to work up a sweat for your heart and lungs to benefit, and you don't need to overdo it. Learn to keep up a steady pace while doing some form of aerobic exercise that still allows you to talk comfortably with a friend. To improve your aerobic capacity, exercise aerobically for about 20 minutes three or four times a week.

Swimming is a form of exercise that can greatly improve the oxygenating capacity of the heart and lungs, especially swimming under water. The amount of time you spend holding your breath while swimming under water should be built up gradually. Swimming under water should not be attempted if you have any form of heart or blood vessel disease unless you have clearance from your doctor.

Another type of exercise that many people find very beneficial for their brains is some form of mind-body exercise. People who practice mind-body exercises regularly report they experience reduced stress, increased calmness, and greater clarity of thinking. There are many schools and variations of mind-body exercises, including yoga, tai-chi, and chi-gung.

For many people, the most easily accessible and universally beneficial form of exercise is walking. You can walk alone or with others. You can walk indoors or outdoors. A walk can be part of a formal program, or an individual ramble through a favorite neighborhood or nature area.

Is it better to walk slowly or quickly? It's up to you. Some people find that a brisk walk is a great stress reliever, while others get more peace from a very slow and meditative walk. Your mind will benefit more if you stay totally focussed in the moment, rather than using this time to continue dwelling on your problems.

How much should you exercise? Whatever you choose to do it is important that you continue to do it regularly. Exercising vigorously for three hours on the weekend will not make up for a sedentary lifestyle the rest of the week. It will also leave you exhausted and sore, and unwilling to exercise again.

It is therefore important to choose an activity that you really enjoy. Don't pick anything too strenuous to begin with if you are not used to exercising. Aim to exercise at least four times a week or more, for at least half an hour at a time, up to an hour. If you are over forty, are out of shape, or have some medical condition, check with your doctor before undertaking an exercise program.

If you start a regular exercise program that you enjoy, your body will thank you, and your brain will thank you too! You'll feel more energized both physically and mentally, and will be better able to handle life's challenges.

This article is taken from the new book by Royane Real titled "How to Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better, and Be More Creative" You can get the paperback version or download it from http://www.lulu.com/real

---

Knowledge Or Action

It's been said that knowledge is power. While that's true to an extent, it isn't the whole truth. Knowledge without action is almost useless. It doesn't help to be a genius if you... Read More

How Great is the Strength of Your Belief?

Be careful what you believe because that is what you will experience. Your belief system is a mechanism which is uniquely yours. It is powered by your desire and controlled by your thoughts... Read More

Work, Action, Movement -You Cannot Get Anywhere Without It

"You can't get anywhere in anything without work, action, movement..whatever you want to call it." Scott HainesJust getting on with doing something however poorly is important. Mike Litman talks about how you can... Read More

Taking The Leap

Every four years, February gives us a whole 24 hours of bonus footage to add to our year. Many people take this opportunity to "do something special" with their extra day. But why... Read More

Ignite The Fire In Your Belly ? How To Move From Being A Procrastinator To An Activator!

Are you sick and tired of not getting ahead and just can't get yourself out of a rut? Well, there are certain requirements (accountability, responsibility, commitment to yourself, forgiveness, positive think and speak,... Read More

Words Have Power

How many times have you heard or read that words have power? Maybe it was in the context of working 'magic' or 'positive affirmations' or visualization techniques and you just dismissed it as... Read More

Prime That Pump! Part 2

In Part 1 of this article, we talked about reaching our goals as largely a matter of following through on desire, vision and action. The difficulty for most of us lies in continuing... Read More

Chasing Your Dreams!

Friends, it is always a power of your dreams and a motive to move ahead, which is required to move ahead and to be successful in life. Does it sound, impractical; let me... Read More

Passion and Purpose

Who are we, standing here on this planet, looking for a place to be? Are we the "forgotten ones" from a time gone by, a piece of pre-history perhaps, that lets itself unfold... Read More

Changing Lifestyles

We stood in the kitchen talking. I was discussing my upcoming change in lifestyle. I was excited yet hesitant as I talked about it. We set a goal many years ago to change... Read More

Motivation: Tearing Down Your Own Limitations

Q.: I've always been sort of cynical about all this motivational stuff. Lots of rah-rah but no how-to. Now I see all these commercials that talk about no limits, no boundaries, etc. But... Read More

Commit to Doing 80%

Instead of trying to be perfect, it is better to do your best, and often your best doesn't look like going all out all the time. This is especially true when you are... Read More

What Makes You Special?

Many people are too busy today trying to fit themselves into the image of other people. This ranges from physical appearance to dressing mannerism right to extreme character imitations.And although I can understand... Read More

Pride and Prejudice Can Be Healed and Melted Away

Several years ago, my husband introduced me to some potential clients of his at a summer picnic. A few glasses of wine for me and many people seem wonderful, situations are funnier and... Read More

At A Dead End? Look Deeply Into My Eyes!

The president of a large North Eastern company, doing business internationally, was visiting his California division. While he was there, he saw a very large photograph of, of all people, himself, hanging on... Read More

Want Real Change in Your Life? Take Action!

It's easy to begin a year with analysis: months, days and even years of "thinking." Many of us would like to believe that "reaching goals" begins with an armchair, a self-help book and... Read More

Five Mores to Enhance Your Performance

When you think about the most successful, happy, fulfilled people you know, you could probably identify some characteristics these people have in common. If we were sitting together, I'm sure we could build... Read More

I Should Be Doing... But...?

What a perfect fall Saturday morning, clear sunny blue sky, with a crisp breeze blowing. It's just the one I've been waiting for to begin that yearly regimen, Fall Clean Up. Throwing on... Read More

What?s in Your Blind Spot?

We frantically search for our "lost" keys that are lying in plain sight on the kitchen counter. We don't we see the keys. Why not? Because we already decided "the keys are not... Read More

Finding Your Authentic Path

"Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light." ~ Theodore RoethkeThe last of the lazy, hazy days of summer are upon us. Gardens are in full bloom reminding us that there is... Read More

Ten Tips to Create More Life for Your Life

When people begin to investigate career change, often they don't want a new career at all. They love their career -- but they also want time for creating a life outside work. As... Read More

The Loneliness of Personal Growth

The cream rises to the top. That means that it separates itself from the milk. Perhaps that is what the New Age Movement is really all about. We tell ourselves that it's lonely... Read More

What Would You Do If You Knew You Could Not Fail?

The next time you find yourself relaxing on the couch, having popped some corn and about to watch the "Sopranos", instead, pose this $1,000,000 lottery question to yourself and see what flows. What... Read More

How Do I Stop Procrastinating?

Often times we procrastinate because it just seems like so much WORK to get what we want! We just don't feel like the rewards justify everything that needs to be done to obtain... Read More

Back to Boot Camp

You know, whenever you are going to make a major change and begin to undergo a different lifestyle, it is probably good to make a massive move in that direction. Think about it.... Read More

Change Your Life For The Better!

Are you still hoping and waiting for someone somewhere to come to your rescue, wave a magic wand and instantaneously change your life for the better?Are you praying that you will one day... Read More

Top 5 Reasons Why Youre Not Living Your Dream

1. "I'm too old to make a change." Maybe you're over 30 and settled in your career. You don't even want to think about making a move somewhere else. Besides, at this point... Read More

Book Summary: If Life is a Game, These are the Rules

This #1 New York Times bestseller offers some useful and understandable advice that can be applied to many situations. The idea of life as a series of lessons can help to put things... Read More

4 Qualities of Highly Successful People

What if you can be, do or have anything you want, what would you desire in your life?Now do you believe it can happen? Yes? No? In the words of Henry Ford, "If... Read More