Exercising Your Mind

With all these new "brain training" programs on the rise it can be hard to decide which one actually succeeds in increasing your brain power.  When I watch TV, I see constant commercials advertising Lumosity, one of the newest brain training programs out there.  The commercials show people, apparently proud of their increased brain power, state that Lumosity is "based on neuroscience."

Recently, Art Kramer from the University of Illinois, came and gave a talk about exercising your brain.  However, his exercise is not a brain training program, it is actual physical, bodily exercise.  According to Kramer's research findings aerobic exercise may be more beneficial for your brain than any of these new brain training programs.  Kramer mentioned that these brain training programs are really just training a person to become better at a specific type of task, and when tested using new tasks a person shows little improvement.  With exercise this is not the case.  People who begin exercising, particularly aerobic exercise, seem to have increase in multiple facets of their cognitive functioning.  Dr. Kramer posted multiple data analyzes that indicated physical exercise greatly outdoes brain training programs when it comes to increasing certain cognitive functions.  

Research suggests physical exercise may be extremely helpful for brain health

An article on PositScience entitled "Physical Exercise for Brain Health" discusses the benefits that exercise can bring in the functioning of your brain.  It explains how exercise can "stimulate growth of new connections between cells" helping with brain plasticity, or the ability of the brain to change.  The article also explains that aerobic exercise effects such as a "runner's high" not only has an antidepressant-like effect, it also correlates to a decrease in stress hormones.  One aspect the article addresses that Art Kramer only briefly discussed was how adding exercising that involve the use of one's brain is even more effective.  For instance, ballroom dancing, which is both physically and mentally demanding, appears to have "a higher impact on cognitive functioning."  

With this type of data coming out of labs it is about time we start taking a look at what the education system and American society are placing values in.  We have all seen the outcry for music and art to be kept in schools, as it should be.  However, physical education courses are lacking this support.  The amount of P.E. time for students is dropping rapidly, as it the general amount of time children are being physically active.  With all the new technology and games inside, it can be very difficult to convince a child to go play a game of tag.  The problem with obesity has begun this charge for exercise, but this new data may help to really encourage more exercise.  Instead of cutting P.E. schools may begin to restore the time and keep recess more active, this would allow children a break and as these new research studies have shown, improve many of their cognitive functions.  Rather than viewing P.E. as taking away from academia, schools may finally see that education, knowledge, and exercise are not mutually exclusive, but mutually inclusive and beneficial. 

"Physical Exercise for Brain Health." Brain Training Software, Brain Fitness, Brain Games, BrainHQ. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013