“Healthy Monday is our way of kicking off the week with useful health tips, information or news put together by our team of Health Consultants.”
This week’s post in our ‘Healthy Monday‘ column is quite a revealing one especially for those who may have had brain injuries in the past or know someone that has, and have often been concerned about losing some of their faculties.
A recent study conducted at Harvard Medical School shares some light on this concern of many as they researchers found that exercise could foster growth of new brain cells and nerves without taking a single pill.
According to the research study, the hippocampus, which is associated with learning and memory is receptive to new brain cell growth in response to endurance exercise. So, in theory, endurance training can help improve your learning and memory skills!
The study examined how different types of exercise affects your brain. They found that when you do workouts that improve your endurance such as cycling, running, walking etc., your body gets worked up as you sweat, and you begin producing a protein known as FNDC5 into the blood stream. This protein activates the production of another brain protein known as BDNF; which has been shown to help with the growth of new nerves in the brain while also helping with the survival of existing brain cells.
According to Mayo Clinic’s website, you should workout moderately for about 150 minutes per week (approximately 20 minutes per day). In addition to promoting the growth of new brain cells, working out and increasing your endurance also has the following benefits: increased metabolism, weight loss, reduced fatigue and fewer back problems.
In conclusion, if you are interested in fostering the growth of new brain cells, you might want to consider working out moderately for about 20 minutes per day!
Have a healthy day!
