10-minute brain boost! Exercise for memory and focus

Ever wonder why that afternoon walk seems to clear your head? Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, delivering more oxygen and essential nutrients to your brain cells. It can help clear the cobwebs and improve your ability to concentrate.

Forget struggling to recall names or appointments? As per Zainab Moalla, a physician based at Nabta Health Clinic, this brief bout of exercise strengthens the connections between your brain cells, making it easier to learn and remember new information. It also stimulates physiological changes in the body by encouraging the production of chemicals that impact the growth of new blood vessels in the brain, and even the abundance, survival, and overall health of new brain cells. It encourages mental clarity and helps to reduce stress and anxiety, according to Moalla.

“It increases blood flow to the brain tissue, helping new brain cells and vessels to grow and improve the brain’s ability to adapt and change,” she says.

Moderate exercise increases blood flow to the brain tissue, helping new brain cells and vessels to grow and improve the brain’s ability to adapt and change...

- Zainab Moalla, physician, Nabta Health Clinic

Kara Khalid, a Dubai-based neuropsychiatrist, elaborates on the connection between exercise and the prefrontal cortex, a crucial area for mood and executive functions. "Brain imaging has actually shown that running increases local blood flow to various parts of the prefrontal cortex after a workout, compared to when someone isn't running," she explains.

However, the benefits go beyond just improved function. Research suggests that exercise might even help create new brain cells, a process called neurogenesis. This is particularly important in the hippocampus, a key area for memory and learning.

Growing your brain

With regular exercise, you might be literally expanding your brain's capacity.

Studies like a 2011 one published in Transitional Sports Medicine journal by US-based researchers, show that exercise training can increase the size of the hippocampus, potentially leading to improved memory. Another 2017 US-based study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, found that participants who walked briskly increased their hippocampal volume by slightly over two per cent. This increase in size suggests a potential for improved memory function.

The benefits don’t stop there. Moderate exercise strengthens communication between different brain regions, allowing for smoother information processing, adds Khalid. This brief workout can improve the health and function of the synapses or connections between the neurons in the hippocampus, allowing clearer communication between the brain cells.

In fact, as she says, a brief episode of running has a crucial impact on the brain. The prefrontal cortex is activated during the run or even jog, as the brain needs to process large amounts of sensory information to coordinate the movement of running while keeping the body balanced.

Keeping stress under control

There’s a reason why you’re always advised to work out when stressed and anxious. Chronic stress and anxiety contributes to the decline in brain health, says Khalid. Exercise helps to reduce this risk, by managing stress hormones such as cortisol, which can damage brain cells over time and lead to impaired cognitive function.

How so? Well, your body releases endorphins, which act as natural antagonists to cortisol, helping to bring down its levels and promoting a sense of calm, explain both Khalid and Moalla. It also serves as an outlet for pent-up energy and stress hormones. So, when you move, you burn off the cortisol circulating in your system. The improved blood circulation also helps clear waste products like lactic acid from your muscles, which can contribute to feelings of fatigue and stress.

“Additionally, exercise also reduces inflammation throughout the body, including the brain,” she says, adding that chronic inflammation is linked to the development of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. By managing stress and inflammation, exercise creates a healthier environment for your brain cells to thrive.

A long-term protection

The more connections and pathways you have between brain cells, the larger your cognitive reserve, which refers to the brain's ability to withstand damage or degeneration.

“Exercise strengthens these connections, potentially increasing your cognitive reserve. This reserve can act as a buffer, potentially helping to delay the onset or severity of age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases,” explains Khalid.

So, regularly incorporating exercise into your routine may help protect your brain from age-related decline and reduce the risk of developing neurological conditions. While the exact mechanisms are still being researched, it's likely a combination of these factors – improved blood flow, neurogenesis, stress reduction, and increased cognitive reserve – that contributes to the long-term protective effects of exercise on the brain.

“By incorporating moderate exercise into your routine, you're not just strengthening your body, you're investing in the long-term health and resilience of your brain,” adds Khaldl.

How to go about it:

The good news is, you don't need a gym membership or fancy equipment to reap the brain benefits of exercise. Here are some fun ways to get your 10-minute fix, suggest the experts:

• Brief walks of around 10 minutes every couple of hours are deeply beneficial. It wakes you up from lethargy and you feel more alert. Aim for a brisk walk at a pace that elevates your heart rate and gets you breathing a little harder. Walk around your neighborhood, park, or even inside your home if the space allows.

• Find some stairs and turn them into your training ground. You can walk up and down, jog up and walk down, do lunges on each step, or even jump two steps at a time.

• A few jumping jacks: This is a good way to get your heart pumping. Do jumping jacks at a high intensity for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat this cycle for 5 to 7 minutes, explains Sagar Jhadav, a Dubai-based gym trainer and fitness expert.