Exercise: Better Mood, Better Brain

Exercise II (Source: virtualDavis)

Exercise II (Source: virtualDavis)

“Moderate intensity aerobic exercise improves mood immediately and those improvements can last up to 12 hours… This goes a long way to show that even moderate aerobic exercise has the potential to mitigate the daily stress that results in your mood being disturbed.” ~ Dr. Jeremy Sibold (Source: Inc.com)

Good news. If you exercise you feel better. Runner’s high. At least if you’re a runner. I’m not. But I’m an enthusiastic fan of cyclist’s high, skier’s high, etc. Which reminds me, I’m overdue for my morning ride. Better wrap up this post quickly and saddle up.

But first, I want to pass along some even better news. Sure, feeling good is a welcome boost, but it turns out that exercise may offer even greater rewards than a healthy metabolism and a happy heart and soul. It supercharges your brain. No, not like caffeine. Like magic!

Exercise creates new brain cells and makes those new cells more effective. As Gretchen Reynolds says, “Exercise does more to bolster thinking than thinking does.” (Source: Inc.com)

In short, exercise provides a mood and brain boost. Too good to be true? Possibly. But even a placebo effect makes a pedal through the Adirondack byways worth it…

So there you go: Work out first thing. Feel better. Be smarter. (Source: Inc.com)