We have all heard about the health and fitness benefits of exercising. However, while there are many reasons to immediately include a visit to gym or a daily jog, the percentage of people leading an active lifestyle remains miserable.
Perhaps this is because few people are aware of how lack of physical activity affects a person’s well-being and brain function. We hope that the results of several studies, which will be discussed in this post, will make you rethink your attitude to sports and to your health in general.
So, today we will try to figure out what the health benefits of sports are and why regular exercise is not only effective tool fight against overweight but also a simple vital necessity. :)
Inaction changes the structure of the brain
As you know, a sedentary lifestyle significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The results of a study by Patrick Mueller (Patrick Mueller), conducted jointly with his colleagues at Wayne State University in Michigan (Wayne State University), suggested that this is just a consequence of more serious changes caused by the absence of any physical activity.
The experiment was carried out on rats: one group of rodents was placed in a cage with a squirrel wheel, where they ran 3 miles a day, while the second group of animals was ordered to lead a "sedentary" lifestyle.
After three months, scientists, after checking the state of the neurons of the rostral ventrolateral region (RVLM, rostral ventrolateral medulla) of the medulla oblongata of rats, responsible for the regulation of breathing and blood pressure, found that in the second group of rodents, neurons were covered with new branches.
Such changes contributed to an increase in the sensitivity of nerve endings, which caused a strong irritability of rodents. According to scientists, an excessive amount of stimuli perceived with the help of new branches leads to excessive congestion of blood vessels and the occurrence of such cardiovascular diseases as hypertension, ischemia, tachycardia and others.
Why is sport good for the health of the nervous system?
Considering that many of us today spend most of our time sitting in front of computer screens, we simply cannot ignore the real benefits of an active lifestyle.
1. Physical activity improves mental health
The positive impact of sports on nervous system of a person is that the mental health of people suffering from prolonged depression and other nervous disorders, is improving.
In the process of training, a person becomes more purposeful, collected and disciplined. So, overcoming his physical weaknesses, he destroys all kinds of psychological barriers and cultivates a sense of dignity. This process is a bit like a kind of "breaking" of the personality, which all professional athletes experience in their youth, getting used to strict restrictions and cultivating the desire to win in themselves.
“Women and people over 40 years old who went through a “rehabilitation period” in the gym gained confidence and became more emotionally stable much faster than other participants in the experiment.”
2. Exercise reduces the risk of disease
The results of a study conducted by scientists at the University of British Columbia (University of British Columbia) in March 2014 showed that regular exercise is an effective means of combating diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, obesity and osteoporosis (low density bone tissue leading to an increased risk of fracture).
The graph shows the relationship between the duration of daily training (horizontal axis) and the percentage reduction in mortality as a result of intense (blue dotted line) and moderate intensity (green dotted line) physical activity.
3. Regular exercise improves sleep
According to the results of a study conducted by the American non-profit organization National Sleep Foundation (NSF), training has a positive effect on the duration and quality of sleep. :)
Participants in the annual survey organized by NSF were divided into different groups depending on their level of fitness:
- those who actively exercise (running, cycling, swimming and team sports);
- those who expose themselves to moderate exercise (yoga, power sports);
- those who prefer light exercise (walking);
- those who lead a sedentary lifestyle.
According to the results, the effect of sports on the brain is as follows: people who exercise regularly sleep better and longer than those who prefer passive rest.
NSF experts also found an inverse relationship between inactivity time and participants' sleep quality. So, if you suffer from insomnia or constant nightmares, it may be worth seriously thinking about your lifestyle.
Instead of a conclusion: how to make training a mandatory item of the daily routine?
Now, knowing about the detrimental effect of an inactive lifestyle on human health, there is only one thing left - to turn rare bursts of activity into a habit. Let's look at a few ways that can help.
1. Movement diary. By fixing your movements in space, you can soberly assess the seriousness of the problem. For reference: a person must walk about 8 kilometers per day. Believe me, no matter how many times you move from the room to the kitchen or from the desktop to the copier, you are unlikely to be able to overcome such an impressive distance.
2. Reminder. Set a reminder on your computer or phone, which every one and a half to two hours will signal the need to change the type of activity. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to do push-ups or squats every time, just go out into the fresh air and take a little walk. Worst case scenario, walk around the office. :)
3. The right conditions. A one-time action turns into a habit only when circumstances favor it. If you want to start moving more, learn to ignore the elevator, don’t drive one or two stops to work, and clean your house more often. If you think that none of the above methods suits you, just get a dog. Whether you like it or not, with her appearance, your routine will become one point longer. :)
Researchers at the American College of Sports Medicine have developed a special set of 12 exercises that will require a chair, a wall and ... just 7 minutes. Each of the exercises should be performed for 30 seconds for 8-10 repetitions, breaks should be no more than 10 seconds.
“These 7 minutes will not be the most pleasant in your life. However, you will be able to achieve excellent results in a minimum amount of time.”
1 - jumps, 2 - squats along the wall, 3 - push-ups, 4 - exercise for the press, 5 - lifting the chair (step aerobics), 6 - squats, 7 - reverse bending with support on the chair, 8 - exercise for the press, 9 - running in place with high knee raises, 10 - lunges, 11 - push-ups with a turn, 12 - press exercise.
According to scientists, interval training gives the same effect as endurance training, but takes much less time. For example, performing this complex for 2 weeks, you can improve your physical fitness in the same way as if you visited the gym for 6 weeks.
As you can see, the impact of sports on the nervous system is significant, and there are so many ways to change your lifestyle. The main thing is to act! :)
The brain, like other muscles, needs to be exercised. According to scientists, such types of physical activity as running, aerobics and dancing have a positive effect on the work of "gray cells". The bottom line is that cardio training activates the process of creating new neurons in the hippocampus - the area of \u200b\u200bthe brain responsible for memory, learning and emotions. So keep in mind: the more often you exercise, the easier it is for you to absorb and remember new information.
German scientists have found that walking and cycling help memorize foreign words faster.
Attention
“People who exercise regularly are more productive and attentive workers,” says Todd Estorino, assistant professor of kinesiology at the University of California. Physical activity helps the brain form the so-called executive functions: sequencing, working memory, the ability to prioritize. Moreover, to become an employer's dream, it is not necessary to be an Olympic champion - even 30-minute walks four times a week will do. And in order to consolidate and enhance the effect, scientists recommend doing ballet or gymnastics - such loads, where special attention is paid to the position of the body in space.
Creativity and IQ
Training increases the production of serotonin and increases the flow of oxygen to the brain, which in turn affects the ability to think clearly and creatively. Interestingly, the creative upsurge appears immediately after training and lasts for several more hours. In addition, physically active people are able to offer more interesting ideas than their inactive counterparts (study "Influence exercise on divergent thinking" by Lorenz Kolzato and Justine Pannekok).
Physical activity and a healthy cardiovascular system increase intelligence - this is the conclusion of Swedish scientists who studied more than a million young people aged 15 to 18 years.
Mood
Regular exercise raises the pain threshold and reorganizes the structure of the brain, helping it fight stress and fatigue. People who are actively involved in sports tend to consider themselves happier than those who prefer a sedentary lifestyle. In addition, exercise is a direct path to emotional stability, anxiety reduction, and cognitive flexibility.
Contrary to popular belief, nerve cells do regenerate. And regular physical activity contributes to their recovery.
Swedish scientists believe that good football players are smarter than those who do not play football, and that the number of goals scored and assists in football is directly related to cognitive abilities. This discovery surprised many, since it is no secret that the words “sport” and “intelligence” are not opposite concepts, but they cannot be called synonyms either. At least that's how it was thought for many years. And, it seems, in vain, because playing sports has a beneficial effect on the human brain.
Scientists do not have an unambiguous opinion about whether educational games contribute to an increase in intelligence. However, there is another way to increase IQ. It has now been proven that Physical Culture allows a person to become smarter.
Running is better than thinking
Neurologists and physiologists have been collecting data on the relationship between exercise and the mind for over a decade. Research shows that this is a strong bond. Sophisticated technologies that allow you to check the work of both individual neurons and the entire brain as a whole have proven that exercise strengthens the brain and increases cognitive abilities. Exercise has a more beneficial effect on the process of thinking than thinking itself.
As always, experiments were carried out on animals. It has long been known that "enriched" environments, such as houses filled with toys, and new tasks increase the intelligence of laboratory animals. In most experiments, the "enriched" environment involves running on a wheel. However, until recently, no one tried to find out whether the impact of running on the mind of rodents is different from the impact of new toys?
Last year, a group of scientists led by Justin Rhodes, professor of physiology at the University of Illinois, decided to clarify this issue. The study involved four groups of mice that led different lives. The former were fed to the bone with mouse delicacies: nuts, fruits and cheeses, which were washed down with plenty of flavored liquids. They lived in multi-colored plastic dwellings, standing in the corner of the cage. The rest of the space was filled with toys: colorful balls, cubes, mirrors, etc.
In the second group, this mouse paradise was supplemented by a running wheel. Members of the third group did not have any frills and lived in Spartan conditions. Including in terms of nutrition. In the cells of the fourth group there was one excess - a running wheel.
Before the start of the experiment, all participants passed cognitive tests. Then the mice were injected with a substance that allows you to monitor changes in the brain. For the next few months they were running around on the wheel, playing or, as a third group, just messing around.
After the end of the experiment, the participants again passed the tests. It turned out that toys and just food, no matter how tasty and nutritious it was, had no effect on the intelligence of mice.
“Changes occurred only in those rodents,” says Justin Rhodes, “whose cages had running wheels.”
Animals engaged in "sports" showed higher results when passing cognitive tests. Not only idle mice did not grow wiser, but also those who had many toys, but did not have a wheel.
It's all about neurogenesis
Why does physical exercise affect the development of the intellect more beneficially than the process of thinking? The fact is that the brain, like other muscles and organs, is a tissue and, therefore, its capabilities decrease with age and if it is not used. By approaching thirty, people use only 1% of the volume of the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and certain cognitive abilities. Exercise slows down or even reverses brain aging just as it does with all other muscles.
It has long been known that people are born with a certain number of brain cells and that it does not increase with age. However, in the 90s of the last century, having learned to label new cells, scientists came to the conclusion that adults also have new neurons. And especially a lot of them in the hippocampus. That is, neurogenesis, the process of the birth of neurons, occurs there.
Around the same time, exercise was found to boost neurogenesis. Mice and rats that ran for several weeks on a wheel had almost twice as many new neurons as mice that led a recumbent lifestyle.
Broad specialization
But the most interesting thing was that the exercises not only contribute to the birth of neurons, but also have a beneficial effect on them. Brain cells can only improve intelligence if they feed into a neural network. Most of the new neurons wander aimlessly around the brain and eventually die.
In order to involve neurons in the network, you can learn something. In a 2007 study, new brain cells from mice were injected into the network when they had to learn how to navigate a water maze, a task that was cognitively but not physically challenging. However, these neurons turned out to have a narrow specialization. New cells began to work only if the rodents again had to make their way through the water maze. When performing other cognitive tasks, they were not included in the work.
Physical exercise makes the cells seem to be more agile. When mice were made to run, the number of new neurons entering the neural network increased significantly. But later they were included in the work not only in those cases when the mice had to run, but also, say, when they got into an unfamiliar environment. In runners, the new brain cells had a broad specialization and were more efficient than in relatives who developed cognitive abilities.
Why this happens, scientists do not yet know. Exercise may increase the body's production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a substance that strengthens cells and axons, strengthens connections between neurons, and induces neurogenesis.
Scientists cannot directly study similar processes in the brains of people, but it is already known that after exercise, the level of NFGM in the blood of most people increases.
Scientists still have many questions to answer. For example, do all types of exercise have the same beneficial effect on the brain as running? Or - how does the duration and intensity of exercise affect the result?
It just so happens that almost all studies include running or aerobic exercise. As for other exercises, they have yet to be dealt with.
A couple of years ago, scientists observed a group of elderly people who were engaged exclusively with weights. A year later, it turned out that their cognitive abilities had improved.
It can be assumed that for effective effects on the brain, exercises do not have to be intense. 120 elderly men and women, divided into two groups, have been doing walking and stretching and flexibility exercises for the past year. In “walkers” the hippocampus increased in volume and returned to the size of two years ago, but in “stretchers” it decreased. Those who were engaged in walking also increased NFGM in the blood, as well as increased cognitive abilities.
Everyone who swings should remember: you are not a pile of meat, but first of all a person. Meanwhile, the stereotype about the stupidity of athletes is more popular than the sport itself. Let's analyze all the pros and cons of the fact that athletes are dumber than other people.
They are stupid!
1. If you have devoted your life to sports, intellectual abilities can rest as long as they like. You have such a busy schedule of training-olympiads that there is no time for everything. You rarely go to theaters and museums. And of all the important political news that you dozed off yesterday after training, the only thing you remember is that Laetitia Casta was recognized as the sexiest model of the year.
2. Athletes are subject to mentally debilitating stress. The more energy they spend on achieving brilliant results, the more nervous they become. Having finally become world stars, many of them turn into perfect neurasthenics. Therefore, half of the columns of the scandalous chronicle are usually dedicated to sports heroes - one uprooted a lamppost in Piccadilly, the other bit off an opponent's ear ...
3. Sport brings a psychologically healing effect only when you do it voluntarily - this is the opinion of the experimenters from the medical center of the University of Indiana. They took a group of depressive lab rats (those that ate without appetite, did not win territory and did not care for females) and placed them in boxes with running wheels. The rats, which ran in the wheel when they wanted to, soon worked up an appetite for themselves and returned to the group already as leaders. The same rats that were not let out of the wheel until they ran the required distance remained just as sad and depressed. Therefore, the schedule that dominates the athlete can oppress him like a rat.
Source: huffingtonpost.co.uk
4. Professional sports are rarely without injuries; by the end of their career, every athlete acquires a plump medical record. In the future, many of these injuries make themselves felt with frequent pain attacks, and constant painful sensations have an extremely negative effect on intellectual functions.
5. According to the British Journal of General Practice, soccer players are the worst athletes on intelligence tests. Researchers tend to blame this on the fact that soccer players often head the ball. During the blows, every time there is a microconcussion of the brain and its cells suffer.
6. Studies conducted by scientists in the gyms of Berlin revealed that every second of the trainees there did not know which muscle he was currently pumping. Which is really stupid. After all, when you imagine which muscle group is under load, you stimulate the nervous system of this area, which leads to greater training efficiency.
7. When a man spends too much energy on sports, there is too little energy left for sex. The level of testosterone decreases after exhausting physical exertion - interest in this matter falls. And everything else too.
8. Every third amateur athlete gives himself too high a load if he does it without coaching supervision. This can result in frequent bouts of depression.
Source: glreview.org
9. If you do not limit your workouts to reasonable limits in time, you will have to get acquainted with side effect endorphins - hormone-like narcotic substances actively produced during physical activity. Their high concentration in the blood dramatically increases the pain threshold, and you are less able to catch the mournful signals of your body. And running a marathon distance with a sprained heel is, frankly, a stupid thing.
They are very smart!
1. The pulse that has become more frequent at the time of training is best gift to your brain. Increased blood circulation and good tissue oxygenation help him think.
2. Sport is the best medicine against stress that is harmful to the intellect. There are various reasons for this, both biochemical and psychological. But there is only one principle - while your body is running along the treadmill, it does not want to worry about the fate of the Universe. As for the stone on the soul, it is sheer nonsense compared to the 100-kilogram piece of iron, which is now comfortably warmed up on your mighty chest.
3. Sports activities increase the number of nerve cells. At least in mice, according to the California Institute for Biological Research. Mice, which are forced by the grace of researchers to lead an active life (and for this the institute has a lot of the strangest devices, including even a mouse exercise bike), have more brain cells than their brothers and sisters, who live quietly in ordinary boxes without any sports gadgets.
4. During aerobic exercise, after thirty minutes of constant movement, a substance called natural morphine, or endorphin, is actively released in the body. The higher the endorphin level, the better the mood and the easier everything is for you, including the assimilation of information.
Starting to play sports, people usually pursue various goals. Some strive to create an attractive body, others want to increase muscle volume, and still others are trying to develop body flexibility. But many people simply underestimate the impact of sports on the brain and its departments.
Regular exercise helps us focus, relax, cope with stress and life's difficulties, increase self-esteem, and avoid serious diseases (Parkinson's, Alzheimer's).
Nowadays, there is a lot of research on the relationship between sports and the brain. Experts confirm that certain types of training have a beneficial effect on different parts of the brain.
Scientists conducted a study and identified areas of the brain that develop such sets of exercises as yoga, strength exercises and aerobics.
Study on the effects of strength training, aerobic training and stretching
Teresa Liu-Ambrose, a specialist from the Canadian University, put forward a hypothesis that if you know which parts of the brain are affected by certain exercises, you can stop the development process. dementia.
She decided to immediately test her idea and conducted an experiment in which 86 healthy elderly women took part. Teresa Liu-Ambrose divided the women into 3 groups, each doing a different type of exercise. The first group attended strength training twice a week. The second is brisk walking. The rest trained the flexibility of their bodies by stretching.
It should be noted that each type of exercise produced a positive effect on the human body.
Six months later people who did strength training for several months showed improvement in spatial memory , which includes memorizing the spatial arrangement of objects and people, as well as associative memory (some memory generates a large area associated with it).
Women from the second group improved their verbal memory as a result of aerobic exercise. Now they can easily remember the forgotten word and remember important information.
Liu-Ambrose did not reveal a significant effect of stretching on improving brain function.
After completing the experiment, Teresa Liu-Ambrose noticed that aerobic exercise alone is not enough to maintain a person’s cognitive health, it is also necessary to include at least one strength training that will significantly improve a person’s executive functions, namely, the ability to reason, plan and complete tasks.
A set of aerobic exercises and its effect
For 15 years, scientists have been talking about the effect of aerobic exercise on memory. It all started with an experiment conducted on mice. The rodents, which ran vigorously in the wheel, gradually improved their memory. This is due to the neurons that are formed in the area of the brain that is responsible for memory. Physical activity forced to produce a special protein that forms new neurons. This allowed the mice to more easily overcome the tests that the scientists came up with.
Soon experiments were carried out in which older people took part. It has been proven: regular aerobic exercise can slow down the development of dementia!
Is it possible to combine different types of training?
The famous scientist William Bozers from the Dutch University conducted an interesting study. He selected 109 people with reduced mental activity and divided them into three groups. To understand which type of training is most effective, each group performed different exercises.
After some time, Bozers conducted a survey that was supposed to measure the process of inhibition, as well as show whether people are able to navigate difficult situations and solve problems.
The scientist summed up the results and found that the group that went for walks twice a week, diluting them with strength training, showed the best results.
We can safely say: to improve brain function, the elderly should not only walk in the fresh air, but also carry out a power load!
The effect of interval training
Interval training is a type of training that is characterized by alternating periods of high and low intensity load.
Experts from the Australian University are sure that such a set of exercises reduces the feeling of hunger. Scientists explain this fact by the fact that physical activity lowers the level of the hunger hormone.
They conducted an experiment involving men who have problems with weight. For three days, for 30 minutes, the subjects were engaged on an exercise bike with different intensities, and on the fourth day they had a rest from training.
The results of the experiment showed that after training on the simulator, the men did not eat anything before they went to bed. And in the following days, the appetite was completely reduced by almost half.
The impact of sports on concentration
Let's look at a couple of good examples of how to improve the concentration of children. If you want your child to be attentive and focused, go for a twenty-minute walk with him, and you need to walk at a fast pace. This method will help you to interest even the most hyperactive child for a while.
Maria Chiara Gialotta, a specialist from the University of Rome, argues that sports that involve coordination of movements have a positive effect on increasing concentration.
However, other researchers are sure that before important tests and situations when you need to show maximum concentration, coordination exercises can be difficult. But in the long term, sports for improving coordination are very beneficial, as they help the child switch from one task to another and have a positive effect on executive functions.
For adults, synchronization and coordination exercises may be useful, as, according to some reports, this helps to process visuospatial information. An example would be a situation where a person calculates the time to cross a highway until a traffic light appears.
However, scientists from an American university are sure that such physical activity develops RAM. They also note that a set of exercises that will include several types of activities will give a positive effect. Such a complex can be running, taking into account the calculation of the distance to the next point.
Armed with the necessary knowledge, we can now easily influence our cognitive performance through physical exercise.