The Best Physical Exercises To Keep Fit… Your Brain!

The brain is like a muscle that needs stimuli every day in order to create new neural connections.

The practice of physical activity is essential for enjoying a healthy body and brain. Did you know ?

Exercise helps improve cognitive processes and strengthens our brain against degenerative diseases.

How do you keep your brain in good shape?

We often comment to you that it is extremely important that you build your cognitive reserve. Whether you are curious. That you try to learn new things every day and strengthen your social relationships.

The brain is like a muscle that needs stimuli every day in  order to create new neural connections.

Factors such as stress, routine or negative emotions hamper the development of these connections. So much so that they can end up reducing the agility and health of our brain structures.

In addition to learning new things every day and being in harmony with our emotional world, the brain needs a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients, in order to optimize each of its functions.

We can achieve both of these through physical exercise. But it’s not about playing just any kind of sport.

We are talking here about exercises that have the power to make our emotional world work. To give us a feeling of freedom and to make us happy. We will explain all of this to you in the rest of this article.

Train your brain through more “relaxing” physical exercises

A study was conducted by the University of Illinois and the Beckman Institute of Technology and Advanced Sciences in the United States. The results show that people who exercise moderately on a regular basis have more brain volume.

This results, for example, in a greater capacity to cope with possible neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia of the Alzheimer type.

This is something that concerns us all and that we can all fight in the following way. Stay tuned!

Walking while carrying weights

In our blog, we have already told you more than once about the many benefits of going out for a walk for at least thirty minutes a day.

It’s a wonderful way to get our hearts going, increase endorphins, and oxygenate our brains. 

Even better, thanks to this little daily walk, we free ourselves from the tensions that invade us. We also relativize our everyday problems.

Now, if possible, feel free to bring small weights with you to strengthen your arms every now and then.

According to a study published in the magazine “Newscientist”, practicing aerobic exercises, in addition to training physical resistance, promotes the functionality of our cognitive processes such as memory and executive function, reasoning and resolution.

This is because oxygenation and the beneficial supply of the bloodstream combine with the work of a versatile brain.

Also, brisk walking and practicing any kind of strength and moderate resistance promotes liver production of a hormone which, in turn, facilitates communication between brain cells.

This is an interesting subject which is undoubtedly worth exploring. Without overdoing it,  it’s all about doing moderate exercise, but consistently every day. 

The great benefits of dancing for your brain!

Have you already attended a Zumba class? If not, register now!

However, if the idea of ​​dancing in public doesn’t really get you excited or intimidates you, don’t hesitate to do it at home, and let yourself be carried away by the music in total freedom.

You will find dozens of motivating videos on the internet that will teach you to dance, but above all to develop your coordination.

• Experts say that dance helps us develop our proprioception (or deep sensitivity), a term that refers to the perception, conscious or not, of the position of different parts of the body.

• Thanks to the dance and the coordination of certain very precise steps, it is possible for us to activate receptors located in our muscles which are called the “ neuromuscular spindle”. In turn, these communicate with the brain.

• All of this helps us generate a fabulous harmony between our mind and body through which new neural connections are formed.
  In this way, we are more aware of our emotions and we enjoy a good dose of energy and happiness.

Exercises in the water

When we talk about exercises performed in an aquatic environment, we are only referring to swimming.

• Performing certain movements in the water is both a game and a practice.
  We not only burn calories, but we also exercise our coordination and resistance. These two key activities are essential for the well-being of our brain.
• Physiotherapists tell us that to get the maximum benefit from aquatic exercises, it is necessary to practice them in repetitive sets for a few minutes.

You can perform leg raises, rotations in the water, work with balls or boards, and even mimic the movements you do on a bike.

If you accompany these exercises with good music and pleasant company, it will positively reflect on your physical, emotional and brain health.