The Real Reason Exercise Boosts Your Brain Power

Comments · 946

• RN

  @rnapol3266 · 1 year ago

  I have ADHD and anxiety. Exercise is a non negotiable for me, I workout every morning, even when I don’t feel like it (I never feel like it!). The effect running and working out at the gym has on my mood and well being … just spectacular

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• TH

  @thatsixtiesgirl7809 · 10 months ago (edited)

  65-year-old woman here with lifelong PTSD from long-term childhood sexual abuse. I've always worked out in some way but three weeks ago decided to go all in. I'm strength training 3x a week and walking at least 45 minutes 5 times a week. Friends and family are already noticing physical changes but more importantly I'm noticing a huge surge in mental clarity, self esteem and well being!

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• CH

  @chaoticpoodle · 1 year ago

  Anecdote chiming in:  Exercise gets me out of thought spirals.  Even the bad, bad ones.

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• DU

  @dulcetsementzis7977 · 1 year ago

  Im 52 male..started when i was 37..all natty all the time:). Guys my age that dont work out complain of feeling old, sluggishness etc..that  goes away and stays away when u workout.cardio AND weights is essential..u wont regret it..start! No matter ur age..

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• TH

  @TheLillianYoung · 8 months ago

  Gym rat here. When I don’t workout, I don’t handle stress well and crave junk. Part of the workout is the movement like you said. It’s getting up, catching the bus/subway (for me), working out, walking home. All of it is stimulating.

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• SI

  @sisipixie · 1 year ago

  The ONLY thing that gets me out of an depression episode. Everytime.

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• CO

  @corylcreates · 1 year ago

  Any movement is good, absolutely!!! If you can't manage a 15-minute walk, then do a 3-minute low-key dance at home to a song you love. If you can't do that, walk in place for 30 seconds. And if that is also too hard, stretch your arms above your head and wiggle your fingers. I have a very strong freeze response and have lived in survival mode for a long time, and incorporating movement, however small it may be, into my day has helped me "unfreeze" and get back into my body. If I am too depressed for a walk, I pace at home. If I'm too fatigued for that, I stretch (a set of resistance bands can be helpful too). Even stretching in bed is better than lying there catatonic.

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• AL

  @altron1009 · 1 year ago

  Doing 30 minutes of walking a day and 3 times weight training a week cured my depression, I feel a lot calmer and I can sleep better at night.

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• MO

  @motivandote83 · 2 months ago

  The key is consistency, not intensity. Your brain adapts through repetition, so small daily movement has a real long-term effect.

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• LU

  @luis-yn5kp · 1 year ago

  I was very depressed and began walking. I like playing video games and downloading a walking game to motivate me, and one year later, I can't explain but walking out everyday has helped me in some way positively.

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• BR

  @brunorossibonin788 · 1 year ago

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFbeFLLJbWo&amp;t=342">5:42</a> Im glad she made it clear we cant notice the increased brain volume just by looking to our head size, just in case someone wasnt sure... Lol

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• MA

  @mariaanmo · 1 year ago

  For anyone wanting to implement exercise in their life but really don&apos;t like exercising like me, find only 10 minutes of something that makes your body move in a way that you usually don&apos;t in your day to day. Sounds a bit weird, but yes. For me it was yoga, only 10 minutes in the morning, nothing too difficult or demanding, just moving my body in a different way. I chose yoga because I need to be more aware of my body, so it helps me focus on the stretch, the feeling, the breathing.

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