A Simple Way to Boost Your Brain

Want a bigger brain?

A new study out of Washington University School of Medicine found that more physical activity correlated with larger brain size in healthy adults 🧠

This was based on MRI brain scans of 10,125 men and women (average age 53). The more days they exercised, the larger their brains were in key areas.

Most of the study participants exercised 4 days per week, but the researchers said that even small amounts of exercise (like walking 4000 steps per day) were beneficial.

We don’t always see the results of our efforts immediately, but taking care of our health will pay off in the long run 👟

Reference

Raji CA, Meysami S, Hashemi S, et al. Exercise-Related Physical Activity Relates to Brain Volumes in 10,125 Individuals. J Alzheimers Dis. Published online December 7, 2023. [link]

Exercise & Stress: Good or Bad?

Should I exercise when I’m stressed?

There are a lot of mixed messages out there, so let’s look at some facts. 

Intense exercise causes a temporary increase in stress hormones BUT:

✅ The cortisol spike during intense exercise reduces the cortisol response to subsequent stressors in life AND

✅ Exercise releases endorphins, which naturally combat stress AND

✅ Regular exercise over time supports a healthy cortisol rhythm. 

Some exercises, like yoga and tai chi, combat stress by putting the nervous system into a more parasympathetic state.  

So, for most people, exercise helps to combat stress. 

Exercise only becomes a problem when it’s extreme and intense—particularly in people who are already stressed by other things in life. 

It’s all about looking at the big picture! 

Morning vs. Evening Exercise: New Research

Does it matter when you exercise?

It’s always great when we can work smarter and not harder to reach the same goal, right?

When it comes to exercise, we know that physical activity reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, but here’s a new study that looks at whether it matters what time of day we exercise.

After looking at data from 93,000+ healthy adults (from the UK Biobank), the results showed…

✅ Morning & afternoon physical activity were associated with a 9%-10% lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

❌ Evening physical activity was not associated with a lower diabetes risk.

I’m not suggesting you ditch your evening walk, but this study suggests we get the most bang for our buck when we move our bodies earlier in the day.

What’s your exercise preference—early or late?

Reference

Tian C, Bürki C, Westerman KE, Patel CJ. Association between timing and consistency of physical activity and type 2 diabetes: a cohort study on participants of the UK Biobank [published online ahead of print, 2023 Sep 20]. Diabetologia. 2023. [link]

8 Minutes Per Day of Exercise? (new study)

Do you ever skip exercise because you don’t have time? 👇

A new study in the European Heart Journal found that all you need is 8 minutes!! 

How is that possible?

The study looked at data from fitness trackers worn by more than 71,000 people in the UK and followed their health status (tracking heart disease, cancer, and deaths) for about 6 years. 

📋 That’s a lot of data 📋

Compared with no exercise, they began to see health benefits at just 15-20 minutes per week of vigorous exercise.

2 bouts per day of 2 minutes of vigorous exercise was associated with 35% lower deaths from heart disease. 

👉 The optimal amount of vigorous exercise was 54 minutes per week (8 minutes per day) 👈

More than 8 minutes per day and the benefits plateaued. 

If you’re wondering why this sounds a bit different than the typical recommendation to exercise 30 minutes at least 5 times per week, it’s because the 8 minutes we’re talking about is VIGOROUS rather than moderate exercise. 

Vigorous Exercise Means:

✅ Heart rate above 77% your max (if you’re wearing a fitness tracker)

✅ Breathing too hard to have a comfortable conversation

✅ It could be dancing, running, biking, lifting weights, or anything that gets you feeling breathless

I have nothing against a long walk or bike ride, but if you’re crunched for time, this study is fabulous news. 

Let me know in the comments—have you ever tried short bursts or exercise instead of long? 👇

REFERENCE:

Ahmadi MN, Clare PJ, Katzmarzyk PT, Del Pozo Cruz B, Lee IM, Stamatakis E. Vigorous physical activity, incident heart disease, and cancer: how little is enough? [published online ahead of print, 2022 Oct 27]. Eur Heart J. 2022. [link]