Participating in physical fitness has many health benefits including cardiovascular health, maintaining a healthy BMI (body mass index), improves the function of your immune system, improved quality of sleep, and an increased feeling of overall well being. Another benefit that many people don’t know about is the ability to improve your brain power through fitness and exercise. Physical exercise can actually slow the aging of the body and the brain! When you exercise, you increase the amount of oxygen your brain gets. This attribute can lower your risk for disorders that are associated with memory loss which are common health concerns as the body ages. Exercise also reduces stress hormones which can wreak havoc on your body if you don’t handle stress in a healthy way.
On a more scientific explanation, exercising increases the brain’s production of neurotrophins which improves the brain’s plasticity. Have you ever found that you do your best thinking while on a long run or while doing a challenging workout? That is the increased supply of oxygen in the brain and the increased production of neurotrophins! When you engage in fitness, you are improving your brain’s function. You’ll find that your memory might be better and that learning or reasoning is easier during your workouts.
You don’t need a difficult workout to enjoy the benefits of exercising. Even if you are doing a timed body ball exercise or Pilates, you are still receiving neurological benefits from your workout. Another way your brain benefits from working out is a decrease in social anxiety. Fitness helps the body process emotions better and handle stress in a more positive way. Regular exercise helps to increase energy, increase focus, and improve attention. These benefits can help decrease brain fog and improve memory due to the improved blood circulation and oxygen in the brain.
Exercise also helps your body fight inflammation and can help decrease fatigue, hormonal shifts, and blood sugar imbalances – all of which can have a negative impact on your brain power. You don’t need a fitness trainer’s education to understand how fitness improves your body. You will feel it when you start working out. The more regularly you exercise, the more consistent positive effects will be noticed. If you are new to fitness and are not sure where to begin your personal fitness journey, find a fitness trainer expert in your area or online that can help you get started. A personal trainer or fitness coach will be able to help you identify realistic fitness goals and will create a fitness training plan that you’ll be able to do with the support and guidance of your personal trainer. Fitness improves your life, in all areas including physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Make a commitment to physical fitness and enjoy better quality brain function and power, and more energy to help you stay on your path to wellness. Click below to learn more about all the specialty certifications ASFA offers!
