The increased blood flow from exercise has been proven to improve memory and slow down mental decline, but there are other ways you can utilise your daily exercise routine to help keep your brain as healthy as your body.
If you want to push your cognitive functions further when you’re getting fit, we’ve come up with a list of activities that you can do while exercising to help you exercise your brain at the same time.
1. Pick the right time of day
While not an activity in itself, by selecting the right time of day you can maximise the positive effects of exercise on your brain functions. Going for a run in the morning before work will boost brain activity and prepare you for the mental stresses of the day. It can also increase retention of new information.
2. Team sports
When you’re playing any sport that involves a team, you’ll not only be getting your heart rate up but also learning new skills. Tactics in team sports can be used in everyday situations from business to family life. You can also get ‘in the zone’ when playing team sports. This means you’re shutting down all external influence and focussing solely on the task at hand – a very good lesson for how to act when you’re feeling overwhelmed at work.
3. Audio books
Finding time in the day to do your daily run and catch up on some reading can be difficult – so why not double up. As long as you can still hear enough of the outside world so that you’re not going to run into an oncoming car, listening to an audio book while exercising is a great way to multi-task. Whether you’re learning a new language or finally getting round to tackling War & Peace, this can be a great way to absorb something new.
4. Change your route
If you’re a regular runner, you’ve probably got your perfect route. Once you get your trainers on and are out the door, it’s head down and round the circuit. However, this can mean you’re zoning out and shutting down your brain. While this can be useful, you might want to think about changing up your route to engage your brain. Trying a new route not only keeps your brain thinking, you can also task yourself with spotting new things on the way and trying to memorise the route for next time.
As anyone who’s seen the sweaty ‘celebs’ on Strictly will know, dancing can be hard work. Depending on what type of dancing you’re doing, you could easily burn between 300 and 500 calories per hour. Not only that but you’ll also be learning something new.
6. Revise while exercising
One way to get smart while getting fit is to link the two. Make your exercise outcome reliant on your educational outcomes. If you’ve got an exam or are trying to get your mind around a set of figures at work, make up some flash cards or questions and tackle them while exercising. For example, if you’re doing squats, hold the squat until you can answer the question. This means that either you’ll be holding the squat for longer and therefore getting fitter, or you’ll be able to answer the question faster and therefore you’ll be getting smarter. It’s a win-win situation.