exercise and brain power

[fishermansbay]

I am wondering how many of you exercise, not just for the general health benefits, but to literally boost your brain power. I read two recent books on exercise and the brain, "Spark" and "Brain Rules," and they have given me a new motivation to work out everyday.

One of the interesting things is that our ancestors walked on average 12 miles a day. Instead of moving, we sit at desks for 8 hours a day. All the research shows that are brains work at their best when we are moving. Also, exercise creates BDNF, which is like miracle-gro for our brains.

Does anyone else out there exercise to boost their brain power?

Here are the links to the books I mentioned...
Spark
Brain Rules

[Mahler]

Interesting. I have read that before. I believe there are even studies that make a connection between exercise and staving off Alzheimer's.

[missjane]

Did you see this today?

Study: Big belly could carry bigger dementia risk - CNN.com

[eastcoastsurfer]

I always feel that I was smarter when I was younger, even though I workout more now that I'm older. Maybe if I wasn't working out I'd already have alzheimers or something :p

[Mon]

I sleep better and don't need as much sleep when I workout than when I don't workout. When I used to not stick to a routine and always lazy working out all the time (skipping sessions due to feeling lazy and making a too long of a session), I used to be tired a lot and oversleep. Too much of anything is not good. With a help of one person on here, I was able to make a good routine and follow it. It has been working so far and I feel I have been getting a lot of great results including not needing as much sleep. 7-9 hours of sleep every night is perfect.

I love working out now. =)

[eastcoastsurfer]

Originally Posted by Mon

I sleep better and don't need as much sleep when I workout than when I don't workout. When I used to not stick to a routine and always lazy working out all the time (skipping sessions due to feeling lazy and making a too long of a session), I used to be tired a lot and oversleep. Too much of anything is not good. With a help of one person on here, I was able to make a good routine and follow it. It has been working so far and I feel I have been getting a lot of great results including not needing as much sleep. 7-9 hours of sleep every night is perfect.

I love working out now. =)

At first I thought you were going to say you only needed 5-6 hours of sleep now that you workout lol. Does anyone really *need* 9 hours or more of sleep? I try my best to get 7, and if I don't have to wake up I still can't sleep more than 8. I just don't understand how people can sleep 12 or more hours at one time.

[Mon]

I have no idea. One of the crew members working with me for a play at school can sleep 1 whole day if he wants to and needs like 5 alarms (real loud) to wake him up every day during times he has to go to work or school. I have no idea how anyone can sleep that long!

[PowerManDL]

CNS function is interesting.

Very non-specific, and motor output has strong ties with our overall sense of mood and psychological arousal.

[Aiken Steve]

I might have washed out of Grad School in 1979 if I had not started working out. I started getting better grades almost immediately, and that was proof enough for me to stick with it for the next 28+ years.