Power of exercise for mind and mood
Our bodies need exercise. But aside from the usual benefits you hear – better heart health, bone density and reduced risk of chronic disease – did you know that exercise is good for your brain?
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Key points
- Neuroscience shows that exercise significantly reduces dementia risk, improves mood, and reduces our risk of developing depression and other mental health challenges.
- We have evidence-based tips for increasing physical activity that almost anyone can implement to take more control over their wellbeing.
- In addition to the tips provided in this article, readers can attend a free webinar to gain one hour worth of scientific insights and strategies.
Your amazing brain – comprised of over 100 billion cells and more sophisticated circuitry than any computer known to man – is neuroplastic.
Neuroplasticity, in simplest terms, is your brain’s ability to change. It can change by building new cells, forming new connections or changing chemical activity; all of which influences your brain function.
Exercise drives neuroplasticity in the brain. Put another way, exercise can change your brain – and very much for the better.
For example, even moderately vigorous exercise on a regular basis may improve memory and the processing speed of your brain.
And higher cardiorespiratory fitness has also been shown to increase volume in the frontal cortex. This is a region of the brain that’s essential for complex thinking and emotional regulation.
Critically, exercise is a key risk factor for dementia and plays a role in protecting your brain from ageing – well before dementia symptoms emerge.
A recent study conducted by the Thompson Institute’s Healthy Brain Ageing team looked at modifiable risk factors for dementia, including exercise.
The researchers found that older adults with higher dementia risk, such as low physical activity, were associated with lower white matter volume – the critical system that connects different brain regions to each other. At the same time, higher risk was associated with less balanced electrical brain activity.
These relationships were found well before any symptoms of dementia had appeared, reflecting how our lifestyle choices, like how much we exercise, protect the very structure and function of our brain.
Given all these motivating reasons to exercise, the good news is that it’s never too late to start. Take some inspiration from a study that looked at the effects of exercise in a group of 120 older adults.
Half of the group were given a moderate intensity walking program to follow. The other half were given basic stretching exercises.
After one year, the walking group showed increased volume in a brain area called the hippocampus. The hippocampus is important for memory, mood, and spatial awareness.
The study’s findings are supported by other research showing that exercise is important in the quest to have healthy brains for life. Higher levels of aerobic fitness have been shown to benefit areas of the brain beyond the hippocampus and reduce risk of cognitive decline.
Free webinar: The power of exercise for mind, mood, and mental wellbeing
The Thompson Institute combats misinformation by sharing the latest science and evidence-based advice with the community. If you’d like to learn more about the power of exercise for mind, mood and mental wellbeing, check out the free webinar on 9 September, held in partnership with AUSactive. If you can’t make the live event, still register to receive the webinar recording.
From the age of 25 years, the human brain starts to decrease in volume.
This sounds scary, but it’s actually a normal part of ageing. The loss of volume in our brain is small but steady across our lifespan.
Incredibly, exercise can help to slow or even reverse some of that loss.
Because exercise drives neuroplasticity – and the literal growth of new brain cells – it contributes towards building ‘cognitive reserve’.
Cognitive reserve is a bit like superannuation. The more cognitive reserve we can generate through things like exercise, the more “savings” the brain has to buffer the volumetric losses associated with ageing.
Just like saving for super, the biggest “bang for buck” is maximised before the age of 65. But it’s still possible to slow down and attenuate volume losses in the brain at any age. Exercise is a great way to add in those deposits!
While there’s no perfect one-size-fits-all approach, there are general guidelines that can be helpful. (Noting that these are not a replacement for individualised advice and a GP check-up is recommended before commencing new exercise if you are over the age of 40 and haven’t exercised for some time.)
For adults aged 18-64 years, Australian physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines recommend:
Be active on most, preferably all days, to achieve a weekly total of at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity,
Do muscle-strengthening activities at least two times per week. It doesn’t have to be lifting weights; body weight exercises like push-ups or household tasks that involve lifting, carrying or digging also count
Minimise and break up prolonged periods of sitting.
Recommendations for adults over 65 years are:
Be active on most, preferably all days, with at least 30 minutes of moderate activity per day.
Incorporate muscle-strengthening activities.
Be as active as possible.
Sound like a lot? Don’t be discouraged. Even a little exercise can be beneficial and there’s magic in starting small to build habits slowly. Check out the article on how to create habits that stick for more tips on how to get going (literally!).
For now, the science is clear. Exercise not only makes us feel good by elevating our mood; it is good – for our brain health now and into the future.
