3 Activities That Take Care Of Your Brain

We all know exercise is wonderful for the brain. Physical activity oxygenates, stimulates circulation, and this is beneficial for this organ. Increases and enhances intellectual functions and perception. But that’s not all: it also inhibits the production of cortisol, the stress hormone, and this balances the emotions.

Another of the benefits that physical activity offers the brain is to provide a state of well-being and happiness. This is because, at a certain point, exercise stimulates the production of serotonin. This chemical change allows you to experience great emotional comfort.

In relation to the subject, an interesting study was carried out in the United States. The researchers wanted to analyze what the benefits of walking, dancing and stretching were. They wondered which of these three activities had the most positive effects. To find out, they did an experiment with a group of volunteers. We tell below what was done and what were the conclusions.

The experiment on physical activity and the brain

The first step was to form a group of 174 volunteers. All of them were people over 60 years old, and some were over 70. It is known that at this age there is a degeneration of the white matter of the brain. This has different effects like memory difficulties and deterioration of cognitive functions.

All volunteers were sedentary people. Most of them did not do any physical activity. Exercisers only practiced sporadically and for very short periods of time. It was an ideal group to check for changes caused by physical activity in the brain.

At first everyone went through an aerobic test. Tests were also performed to assess their cognitive ability and the speed with which they were able to process data that was provided in the laboratory. These tests were the basis for establishing what state they were in at the beginning of the experiment.

Physical activities compared

The group of volunteers was divided into three subgroups. No pattern was followed, and groups were randomly formed. The first started a walking program. Members were to take a walk, at a brisk pace, for one hour three times a week.

The second subgroup was stretching. They did muscle stretching exercises, also three times a week. In addition, they performed supervised exercises to balance other minor skills.

The third group was supposed to go to a dance studio three times a week. They were not only supposed to dance, but also to learn a choreography, which was increasing in complexity. Based on a not simple rhythm: country.

The results of the experiment

The experiment continued for six continuous months for the three groups, invariably. During this time, several CT scans and MRIs were taken on the participants to see what changes had taken place in the brain. Some results were as expected, but others were really surprising.

In the beginning, what is most remarkable is that the white matter of the brain was more deteriorated in all those who had led a more sedentary life at the beginning of the experiment. Afterwards, the most visible was that there was improvement in all participants. All of them had better results in cognitive and memory tests that were applied at the end of the experiment.

The big surprise came when the results of the third group were observed, that is, the one who had been dedicated to making a complex dance choreography. All their ratings were higher than the others. Experts pointed out that this was due to the fact that it was a physical activity accompanied by a mental, social and playful activity. So it was more integral. In fact, an increase in the density of white matter in the brain was observed in many participants.

Agnieszka Burzynska, one of the research leaders, indicated that a similar study had already been carried out in 2014. At that time, it was possible to prove that the longer a person remains seated, the more their brain deteriorated, even if they exercised. Therefore, the big conclusion is that a sedentary lifestyle negatively affects the brain. In addition, physical activity reactivates and dancing is much more effective than other types of exercise.