
This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017) - caprorso
https://www.outsideonline.com/2186146/your-brain-exercise
======
lgvln
My takeaway from the article and from other studies is that exercise improves
the condition of your brain, allowing one to be more efficient at what they
are doing. Something that the article didn't state is that exercise has a
positive impact on the creation of new neurons on the brain. The idea that
we're born with a limited number of brain cells has been debunked. An analogy
would be going to the gym might not make you better at any particular sport
but it will help you on the path to be better at that sport; your brain
possesses a certain amount of neuroplasticity, akin to a muscle, training this
"muscle" and having the right physique will help with your goal, be it
improving efficiency or learning a new skillset.

~~~
jimmy1
> exercise has a positive impact on the creation of new neurons on the brain.
> The idea that we're born with a limited number of brain cells has been
> debunked.

I'm not being a typical HN'er, I am legitimately curious, do you have some
good sources that describe this? My current understanding is that new neurons
aren't so easily formed because your brain is actually so efficient, it will
simply form new pathways between existing neurons to do the same thing it once
did with lost or damaged neurons. Would like to know that this is incorrect or
not.

~~~
froh
> My current understanding is that new neurons aren't so easily formed because
> your brain is actually so efficient, it will simply form new pathways
> between existing neurons to do the same thing it once did with lost or
> damaged neurons.

That's what we have been taught at school.

Meanwhile we better understand neurogenesis, creation of nerves, and
neuroplasticity, rewiring of nerves:

[https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-
way/201...](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-
way/201702/how-do-neuroplasticity-and-neurogenesis-rewire-your-brain)

In a nutshell, the brain continues to grow new nerves and new connections
throughout our whole lives.

Hth?

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jdavis703
For the past 3 weeks I’ve been using the Pomodoro Method at work. For those
who don’t know, it’s 25 minutes of deeply focused work, followed by a 5 minute
break.

In my break I’ve been excercising: running up stairs, doing push ups, wall
sits, etc. I’ve always had trouble focusing in open offices, but now I can
focus without even needing headphones! And to top that off we use story point
estimates, and I started flying through those estimates.

Obviously I’m just one story where the sample size is n=1. But after reading
this article I think pairing Pomodoro with some light exercise has some unseen
positive feedback.

~~~
tzs
Pomodoro fits in reasonably well with good ergonomics practices. From the
Cornell University Ergonomics group's page on sitting and standing at work:

> Sit to do computer work. Sit using a height-adjustable, downward titling
> keyboard tray for the best work posture, then every 20 minutes stand for 8
> minutes AND MOVE for 2 minutes. The absolute time isn’t critical but about
> every 20-30 minutes take a posture break and stand and move for a couple of
> minutes. Simply standing is insufficient. Movement is important to get blood
> circulation through the muscles. And movement is FREE! Research shows that
> you don’t need to do vigorous exercise (e.g. jumping jacks) to get the
> benefits, just walking around is sufficient. So build in a pattern of
> creating greater movement variety in the workplace (e.g. walk to a printer,
> water fountain, stand for a meeting, take the stairs, walk around the floor,
> park a bit further away from the building each day).

Link:
[http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/cuesitstand.html](http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/cuesitstand.html)

Archive link:
[https://web.archive.org/web/20181231082003/http://ergo.human...](https://web.archive.org/web/20181231082003/http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/cuesitstand.html)

~~~
pmoriarty
_" downward titling keyboard tray"_

Is it the front edge or the back edge of the keyboard that's supposed to be
facing down?

~~~
ebeip90
The side closest to you should be higher. Microsoft’s ergonomic keyboards come
with removable risers that achieve this.

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reacharavindh
I havent read the papers quoted in the article. But, I'm a little puzzled
reading this.. It sounds more like interpreting what they want to see or think
is happening.

> Aerobic exercise appears to lead to changes in both the structure of the
> brain and the way it operates, which together bolster learning in kids, give
> adults an edge on cognitive tasks, and protect against the cognitive
> declines that often come with age.

Given the penultimate paragraph where they say - “You shouldn’t expect to
increase your IQ or anything of that nature,” How could the above statement be
true? What measure is there to say "this behavior we are seeing is increasing
learning ability of the brain while not increasing the IQ"?

> so the brain was able to better identify specific features during exercise.

and

>and found the same thing: After exercise, one’s senses are heightened and
thus can detect the flashing at a higher frequency than before exercise.

Sure, but exercise is more of our body pushing itself to do something. Does
this mean the same behavior is observed or even amplified when you cordinate
that level of work and play sports instead? Then why not recommend people to
play sports that need more brain work (strategy, using senses to stay sharp,
motor skills etc). One would assume the more you flex your brain muscle it
gets "better" No?

> They discovered that the brain uses some of that(extra energy from glucose
> and carbs due to increased heart rate) fuel to build more neurotransmitters,
> the chemicals that relay messages around the nervous system.

How does this compare to say playing chess or playing Tennis?

I'm not disputing the article. I'm trying to understand the logic and get
better results by playing sports instead of running while watching Netflix on
the phone.... Am I getting it wrong?

~~~
coldtea
> _Given the penultimate paragraph where they say - “You shouldn’t expect to
> increase your IQ or anything of that nature,” How could the above statement
> be true? What measure is there to say "this behavior we are seeing is
> increasing learning ability of the brain while not increasing the IQ"?_

Here are some examples:

3 days without sleep will give you IQ performance 20 points less than your
previously measured brain IQ. That doesn't mean you permanently got dumber.
Similarly, exercise can make you perform better at cognitive tasks, while
still retaining the same IQ.

Reduced blood flow to the brain (e.g. due to apnea/obesity) can make you
actually lose tons of IQ points (sometimes even permanently). Exercise
prevents those things.

~~~
agumonkey
Bedroom theory, your brain was made to interpret sensory input, if you feed it
a good amount of adequate[0] stimuli it will probably massage a lot of your
brain.

[0] not too sophisticated, not too fast, not too parallel

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Emma_Goldman
Difficult to put the long and emphatic list of cognitive enhancements together
with the penultimate paragraph:

'You shouldn’t expect to increase your IQ or anything of that nature.'

If I can't expect even a 1% rise in intelligence, what am I really achieving
cognitively?

~~~
jraby3
Throughout the article they did mention improved working memory, focus, and a
host of other benefits. Maybe IQ isn’t the best measure of these benefits.

~~~
Emma_Goldman
You may be right. But all of the suggested benefits seem like they should
effect intelligence:

    
    
      - Higher frequency brain waves increase 'attention, memory, and information processing'
    
      - A heightened visual cortex increases our ability to pick out features in our environment
    
      - Restocking neurotransmitters to optimal levels
    
      - Healthier blood vessels improve working memory

~~~
abledon
these are all forms of 'intelligence' in a piece of life. I say if our body
has transformed its blood vessels into a more 'healthier' state then the
overall organism is operating more intelligently. Just not the type of
intelligence associated with analyzing our external environment.

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arandr0x
So how addictive is exercise exactly? If you're exercising, past the point
where you feel physical hurt, because it makes you feel immediately more alert
(or straight up euphoric depending), is it dangerous? It's usually attested
that too much of one specific kind of exercise (e.g. running) can have
problems for certain muscles and joints but I'm not finding a lot on the
dangers (if any) of more diverse exercise (where you keep moving with elevated
heart rate for a long, sustained, time period, but don't do the same movements
every day or every hour in a single day).

~~~
claudiulodro
> I'm not finding a lot on the dangers (if any) of more diverse exercise
> (where you keep moving with elevated heart rate for a long, sustained, time
> period, but don't do the same movements every day or every hour in a single
> day).

This sounds like what the human body is specifically evolved to do, so I'd
imagine it's fairly safe and good for you. It seems like the sort of exercise
one would get from tracking an animal for a few hours through the forest
before killing it with a spear.

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koolhead17
I would recommend reading the book for anyone looking to get more information
on same.

Spark: How exercise will improve the performance of your brain

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your-nanny
Exercise is good, but that article annoyed me. It noted various exercise
induced changes in the brain and behavior--increased sensitivity to stimuli,
increased neurogenesis, more connectivity, etc-- without actually saying why
those things are good. increased connectivity between brain regions doesn't
have to be good, and you can be too sensitive and alert to stimuli

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kevinfc
Unfortunately, this starts off with a really bold statement.

> The toll our relatively new sedentary lifestyle takes on our bodies is
> clear: For the first time in U.S. history, younger generations are expected
> to live shorter, unhealthier lives than their parents.

This sounds really biased. Obviously exercise is good for you, but to say its
the only factor causing a reduction in our life expectancy is quite a reach.

This makes me doubt their interpretation of the other research presented.

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ScottAS
A contrarian caution on exercise worship:

Everything that makes us feel good is neurochemical in nature, including
exercise. Exercise can lead to a withdrawal period of feeling shitty and
unproductive, and it can be quite addictive.

Really important not to confuse "feeling good" with being good for you. Have
seen a lot of people overdo it and lose their lives to pointless exercise
while accomplishing very little else. Also important to realize that most
things in life that give you a boost in life also give you a debt to pay back
at a later time/date.

~~~
amanaplanacanal
I would be hesitant to call it pointless if it makes them feel good.

~~~
ScottAS
It's pointless because of the hedonic treadmill. Any feel good feeling is
neurochemical in nature, and any moment of feeling good will be
counterbalanced at one point or another.

