Bulk Up Your Brain
You’ve probably seen the email making the rounds about a woman who starts out in one room, thinks of something she needs to do, goes to another part of the house, forgets what she came there for, but saw something that needed to be done and was soon distracted to something else.
By the end of the day, nothing had gotten done.
Have you ever experienced walking into a room and wondering why you came in there?
I have. Perhaps you have too. I stop to think where I was last and what I was thinking and my brain pops into gear to remind me what I was doing.
We have a good laugh, but wonder, “Am I getting Alzheimer’s?”
Good news…probably not. It is a sign of aging though.
You will be interested to know about research being conducted by Arthur Kramer and his colleagues at the University of Illinois.
It seems that exercise can actually make you smarter.
The researchers divided a group of people between the ages of 60 to 80. The first group did aerobic exercises and the second group did stretching and toning exercises.
After six months, the ones doing aerobic exercise had a significant increase in the volume of brain cells in the prefrontal, temporal and parietal regions of the brain and hippocampus.
These areas of the brain become less reliable as we age and memory is lost.
The results of the studies are very clear. Regular aerobic exercise improves mental function and prevents cognitive decline.
Get up off the couch…go for a walk, ride a bide, dance around the house…do something to get the heart rate up, the breathing up and sweat a bit.
It will “bulk” up those brain cells along with your body.
Now where did I put my keys???
