Walk Your Brain

Hello! Do you think your decision to exercise would influence the effectiveness of your brains’ activity? Or do you think there is any relation at all between how much you walk per day and your ability to make fast and accurate decisions? If you knew what was written in this article, what new actions would you take?

Let’s Learn More on Physical Activity

When you hear the word physical activity, what comes to your mind? Do you imagine taking a walk down the street? Or do you see yourself taking an early morning jog? Or perhaps you imagine a yoga class? Truth is you are right! Anything that involves you actively doing something with your physical self is termed a physical activity.

Physical activity refers to every movement done for enjoyment by everybody. Examples are swimming, dancing, cooking, washing, playing golf, ball games etc.

Physical activity refers to any body movement that works your muscle and requires more energy than resting. (NIH, 2022. What is Physical Activity)

Typically, physical activity can be divided into different categories as shown below:

i. Aerobic activity

ii. Muscle-strengthening activity

iii. Bone-strengthening activity

iv. Balance activity

v. Flexibility activities

Aerobic activity generally involves the movement of your large muscles, such as your legs and arms. Activities here can include gardening, walking, running, swimming, bicycling, skipping and even sports such as basketball. Usually, this type of activity makes your heart beat faster, thus it helps improve your lungs and heart.

Muscle-strengthening activity as the name implies when done helps to strengthen the muscles of the area you are working on. For example, Push-ups strengthen the muscles of your arms while lifting weights would strengthen both arms and legs muscles depending on your position. Muscle-strengthening activity helps improve the strength and endurance of muscles.

Bone-strengthening activity as the name implies helps strengthen your bones. This includes running, walking, skipping, lifting weights, etc.

Balance activities include activities that can improve your ability to resist forces that can make you fall; they help improve your balance. Flexibility activities help improve the ability of the joints to move and carry out normal activities with no stress. Examples include yoga, swimming, dancing.

Take that walk, go for that jog, get up and dance, sign up for that yoga class. Your brain would thank you for it.

Here’s the Big Question

What is The Impact of Physical Activity on Brain Health?

We all pay so much attention to our physical health, social health, emotional health and pay so little attention to our brain health. We ought to take care of that aspect of our health too. In this section you’ll learn how physical activities impact and influence your brain health. Now what are the benefits your brain gets from physical activities:

1. Increased efficiency in making decisions: A review by Tomlison, Leison and Colognato (2010) indicates that “physical ability, environmental enrichment and motor experiences promotes more efficient neuronal myelination”. Hence, increase in the myelination process in the brain leads to an increased efficiency in making decision.

2. Improved creative performance.

3. Repair of cerebral structures that have encountered damage during the development period.

4. Delay onset of diseases associated with the brain e.g., Dementia.

5. Enhance brain function.

Tho physical activity has a positive impact on brain health, other factors such as environmental and personal factors influence its effects. Also, the duration, intensity and type of physical activity matters, studies show that aerobic-type exercise appears to show greater cognitive and brain effects over non-aerobic and moderate-intensity exercise. The World Health Organization recommends that adults aged 18-24yrs should at least perform 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity.

In summary, Physical activity refers to any body movement that requires more energy than resting. We have different types of physical activity, the ones covered in this article includes aerobic activity, muscle-strengthening activity, bone-strengthening activity, balance activity and flexibility activity. Brain health is a very important part of our health everyone should watch. Physical activity with other factors can improve the brain structure and function. Get updates on our latest blog post and subscribe to our mail. Don’t forget to walk your brain!

Reference

1. Arthur F. Kramer, Kork I. Erickson, 2007. Effects of Physical Activity on Cognition, Well-being and Brain: Human intervention. Elsevier.

2. WHO, 2020. Physical Activity.