Introduction to Active Lifestyle
Regular exercise is important for our general health – it’s good for the heart and it is also really good for the brain. Developing an appropriate exercise regimen that can help you decrease the symptoms and disabilities that is tailored to your interests, abilities, and needs is essential.
People who exercise regularly have better cardiovascular fitness, manage stress more successfully, are better able to regulate mood and fatigue, have more endurance, and the list goes on.
Exercise improves the brain’s resilience because it increases blood flow and that brings the brain tissue more glucose and oxygen. It also makes the internal environment in the brain more hospitable to growth by releasing neurotransmitters, hormones and nerve growth factors that encourage the growth of new fibers. This strengthens the connections between neurons, so exercise is also one of the simplest and most direct ways to increase cognitive reserve.
People who exercise regularly are apparently better learners. Exercise directly influences learning by improving the brain’s ability to attend to and process new information. It does this by activating the frontal cortex – that part of the brain that controls executive functioning, attention, impulse control, learning and memory.
The more you exercise, the more you benefit, even if you have never exercised before. Doing an aerobic exercise program twice a week can improve mood, fitness, and brain health.
In health, as in most aspects of life, it is what we do most of the time that counts, not what we do occasionally. A briefer and less strenuous exercise regimen that you can do four times a week is probably more helpful than a longer, more intense one that you can only manage every other Saturday. Developing an appropriate exercise regimen that is tailored to your interests, abilities, and needs is essential.
For resources and links to help you implement your exercise goals, click on the tabs below.
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