3 Best Exercises for Brain Health

At this point, we all know that exercise is something we should do to live a healthy life. A reasonable goal to aim for is roughly 30 minutes a day of physical activity. The physical benefits that come from exercise have been made pretty clear, however, you may be less aware of the brain health benefits that come along with exercise. Find out not only how exercise affects brain health, but the exercises your brain loves!

• Aerobic Exercise
• Strength Training
• Yoga

Exercising is key for your brain health

1. Aerobic Exercise. Aerobic exercise will increase your heart rate and pump more oxygen throughout the entire body and the brain. Besides the health benefits of an increased boost in cardiovascular health, aerobic exercise can also give your brain a boost. What qualifies as aerobic exercise? Anything that gets the heart pumping! Think jogging, swimming, or brisk walking. Aerobic exercise is a total mood booster. Recent research has also found that spurts of exercise can do more for your energy levels than caffeine. So, what are you waiting for? Get up and move! Your brain health and body will benefit.
    
2. Strength Training. Many people may get so focused on cardio, that they forget about strength and resistance training. It's incredibly important for you to practice some sort of strength training to your workout regimen, be it with your own body weight or weights at the gym. Besides being incredibly good for your physical health, there have also been studies to show that there are benefits to brain health. In a recent study, participants were separated into two groups – one group did weight training, the other did stretching exercises. Both groups took a cognitive test before starting their training. Both groups were given the test at the end of the study 12 months later. The weight training group scored higher at the end of the study than at the beginning. Get started on your strength training routine today! You’ll be amazed at the brain health benefits you’ll get on top of some extra muscle.
    
3. Yoga. Yoga is one of the best stress relievers you can do for yourself. The physical benefits you can get from yoga include an increase in flexibility and maintaining a healthy weight, but like other exercises, yoga goes beyond the physical benefits. Besides being incredibly relaxing, studies suggest that yoga can improve focus, concentration, and recall. We’re pretty confident that no one has ever left a yoga class regretting it! If you haven’t given yoga a try yet, now might be the time.

These are just a few exercise options that you can try to help your body and brain. One more tip for you before we go: Try to exercise in the morning. Morning exercise will give you some much-needed energy to kick-start your day.

What are some of the go-to exercises that you like to do? Let us know!