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More evidence that exercise increases brain power
You know that staying glued to your desk chair all day won't get you anywhere near your fitness goals. But there's another reason to exercise: brainpower. A new study published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport examined how physical activity (or lack thereof) affects how well children understand important educational skills like reading and math. The study examined 153 Finnish children between the ages of 6 and 8 who measured their activity with heart rate monitors and motion sensors and assessed their intelligence with standardized school tests. The boys who...
More evidence that exercise increases brain power
You know that staying glued to your desk chair all day won't get you anywhere near your fitness goals. But there's another reason to exercise: brainpower.
A new study published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport examined how physical activity (or lack thereof) affects how well children understand important educational skills like reading and math. The study examined 153 Finnish children between the ages of 6 and 8 who measured their activity with heart rate monitors and motion sensors and assessed their intelligence with standardized school tests. The boys who spent the most time sitting and moving the least had poorer reading skills than the rest of the group, and there was a similar effect on the youngest boys' math skills. Conclusion: Encouraging young boys to exercise can improve their performance in the classroom. (+1 for those of you on team break!)
Interestingly, the study researchers found the connection only in boys and did not find any strong correlations in girls. But there's good news if you're reading this and not a 7-year-old boy (you know, y'all): Eero Haapala, the study's lead author, says he expects sedentary adults to increase their physical activity would also see positive effects on their brains, cognition and learning ability.
Other research outside of this study also supports this idea. Most studies that focus on activity and cognition look at young children or the elderly, so some researchers at Stanford University set out to see what would happen for adults in general. They assigned 144 people between the ages of 19 and 93 to two groups: one who exercised on a stationary bike for 15 minutes or one who spent the 15 minutes sitting. Researchers tested each participant's working memory before and after the 15-minute session and found that those who exercised had faster reaction times than the control group.
In another study, researchers found that fit young adults between the ages of 18 and 35 have larger entorhinal cortices (the part of the brain responsible for memory) compared to their less fit peers. Meeting your daily step count goal or exercising regularly will not only help your brain now, but it could also keep you fit as you age, the researchers found.
So go ahead, hop out of your desk chair. When someone asks why you're doing laps in the conference room, you say it's all in the name of being more intelligent.