Exercise can help stimulate memory because it triggers a protein that stimulates the growth of brain cells, according to scientists. For several years, researchers have noticed that aerobic exercise, the kind that receives pumping from the heart, also seems to improve memory and learning. Moderate aerobic exercise helps to increase new brain cells, exercise modifies the brain so as to protect memory and thinking skills. In a study conducted at the University of British Columbia, researchers found that regular aerobic exercise, the kind that gets your heart and your sweat pumps, seems to increase the size of the hippocampus, the brain involved in Verbal memory and learning. The benefits of physical …show more content…
With age, levels of BDNF fall; This decline is a reason why cerebral function deteriorates in the elderly, according to Cotman. Some types of exercise, namely aerobic, are meant to thwart these age-related drops in BDNF and can restore young levels of BDNF in the brain of age. "In a sense, BDNF is like a cerebral fertilizer," said Cotman, professor of neurology and neurobiology and behavior and founding director of the Institute for Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders (UCI Mind). "BDNF protects neurons against injuries and facilitates learning and synaptic …show more content…
This is 120 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week. Standard recommendations recommend half an hour of moderate physical activity on most days of the week or 150 minutes per week. If this sounds discouraging, start with a few minutes a day and increase the amount your exercise by five to ten minutes a week until you reach your goal. If you do not want to walk, consider other exercises of moderate intensity, such as swimming, climbing, tennis, squash or dancing. Do not forget that household activities can count as well, such as intensive floor cleaning, leaf raking, or anything that causes your heart to pump so much that you burst into light