Physical Fitness and Brain Health

You may have wondered about actual fitness exercises. Does being physically fit help the brain?

Definitely, says the Harvard article published for Women’s Health
Watch. In laboratories using rodents for experiments, scientists have discovered
that rodents who spend most of their time running on exercise wheels have better
brains than their more sedentary mates. Similar studies in the past have not
found any conclusive evidence that fitness improves brain functions, but a
breakthrough study – the first of its kind – was conducted by the University of
Illinois (Urbana-Champaign campus) wherein 55 subjects aged 55-79 were
measured for their aerobic capacity during walking and treadmill tests. The
subjects were a mixture of sedentary and physically active individuals. The
conclusion, published in the Journal of Gerontology three years ago, revealed
that “physically fit subjects had less age-related brain tissue shrinkage than less
active subjects.” With the use of an MRI machine, researchers spotted distinct
differences in the frontal, temporal and parietal regions of the brain – where
tissues in these regions were vital for memory, learning and cell communication
functions.

A related experiment also showed that aerobic fitness training largely
influenced the cognitive abilities of women and men aged 55-80. It was learned
that exercise benefited human abilities such as attention, organization and
planning, and that a combined program of aerobics and strength training were
more effective than aerobics alone. Finally, it was also discovered that
exercising for less than 30 minutes per session did not have any significant
impact on cognitive functions.[15]

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