Improve Your Memory with Exercise

Is there anything that regular exercise doesn’t improve? From overall health to happiness and even improved sexual performance, a consistent exercise plan has limitless benefits to one’s well being. Memory is no exception to the exercise panacea.

People who regularly participate in cardiovascular and aerobic exercise have been found to have much better concentration and consistently score higher on memory tests. There are a couple of reasons for this.

First, exercise increases the body’s ability to transport oxygen, which the brain needs to function. Even slightly reduced oxygen flow can drastically affect mental performance. Studies in mice have shown that exercise actually causes the brain to produce more brain cells. Scientists speculate that the increased blood and oxygen flow are the catalyst for that growth. At the very least, scientists believe that regular exercise can postpone the onset of age-related memory decline, if not reverse it entirely.

The second way that exercise aids memory and overall health is through the reduction of stress. Modern life presents us will all kinds of little troubles that cause us to react. But unlike in the jungle where our ancestors used the stress to either fight or run, reactions to modern stress don’t provide the same outlet. This is where exercise comes in. Stress levels drop immediately after a brisk exercise session and stay low for hours afterwards. Reduced stress improves our ability to concentrate and leads to improved memory.

Before you consider pills and drugs to improve memory, get started on a regular exercise program. It may turn out to be the only thing you need to get your mind back.