You may already be aware of the mood-lifting effects of exercise. Post-workout, you experience that rush--you're happy, relaxed and energized thanks to elevated levels of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that make us feel less depressed, more calm and better able to focus. In fact, exercise rivals some of the best available drug treatments for mild to moderate depression. But an improved mood isn't the only reward you'll reap. Recent research also indicates that aerobic exercise can:
Make you smarter. OK, working out probably won't turn you into Einstein, but it will make it easier to learn new things. That's because exercise increases the production of a brain protein (brain derived neutrotophic factor, or BDNF), which is believed to give us the ability to open up our minds and help improve comprehension.
Help you stay organized. Exercise has been shown to increase the size of the brain's frontal lobes, which improves our capacity to perform "executive functioning: tasks, such as making decisions, planning ahead and multitasking.
Boost brain health. Studies suggest that working out can help reduce inflammation in the brain and lower your risk for small, undetectable strokes that can occur. It also reduces your risk for Alzheimer's disease, and can even slow the effects of the disease after it has developed. Finally, exercise has been shown to help in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
Keep your brain working properly. Regular workouts can help your body create new neurons in the brain, which take the place of older ones that have died off. (Up until now, this was believed to be impossible.) In addition, exercise increases the number of astrocytes, cells that help neurons function more efficiently.
http://veryarticles.com/get-sweaty-get-smart/6856/
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