Why movement is so vital for a healthy mind

'Exercise not only changes your body. It changes your mind, your attitude, and your mood' 

Did you know movement isn't just good for our bodies - it's also one of the most powerful tools we have to keep our brains healthy!!  

Being physically active is proven to help  our mental health, and our brain function - improving concentration, memory, decision making, and creativity. 

Exercise also protects our brain from damage, making it more able to recover from illness or injury. Plus it's one of the most effective tools we have to reduce the risk of dementia! 

Exercise even helps us grow new brain cells and connections, and boosts our ability to rewire faulty connections, in a process called neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity is crucial for ongoing learning, and is a key part of reducing stress and pain levels, as it literally changes how our brain works. 

Physical movement helps our brain health in many different ways. It:

✔️increases our heart rate, which pumps more oxygen to the brain

✔️reduces insulin resistance (high insulin causes type 2 diabetes, and can also damage brain cells)

✔️triggers the release of hormones such as BDNF. This is  a chemical that stimulates growth of new brain cells and blood vessels in the brain, keeps brain cells healthy, and helps new brain pathways form. 

✔️promotes neuroplasticity

✔️reduces inflammation in the brain, and helps remove damaged brain cells

✔️increases the size of our hippocampus (part of the brain involved in learning, memory, and mood)

✔️increases the size of our prefrontal cortex and medial temporal cortex (parts of the brain which help concentration, creativity, memory formation, and decision making) 

✔️it also improves mood and sleep, both of which are important for a healthy brain. 

Brain growth can occur in as little as six months of regular exercise! ! 

Exercise also has an antidepressant effect due to the release of 'feel good' hormones (dopamine, endorphins, serotonin) and the reduction in stress hormones (cortisol). This is what gives us the 'exercise high', and makes exercise oddly addictive 😉

If you exercise in nature, it has extra benefits, as it helps reduce stress hormones and boosts mood even more.  

And you don't need to go to a gym to get the benefits of exercise - the key is finding movement you enjoy, and doing it daily!

For good health, we need at least 150 - 300 minutes of moderate intensity cardio /week (or 75-150 min of high intensity), as well as balance and flexibility exercise most days, and resistance exercise 2-3 days/ week. 

These all have different benefits, and give our body and brain variety and challenges. 

Many types of exercise combine these - hiking, yoga, paddle boarding and dance are all great examples. 

In New Zealand we are super fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful places to get outdoors - so why not get moving - you won't regret it!!