Why Exercise Boosts Brainpower 331
aditi sends us a report from Reuters on research indicating that exercise boosts brainpower by building new brain cells in a brain region linked with memory and memory loss. Quoting: "Tests on mice showed they grew new brain cells in a brain region called the dentate gyrus, a part of the hippocampus that is known to be affected in the age-related memory decline that begins around age 30 for most humans. Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging scans to help document the process in mice — and then used MRIs to look at the brains of people before and after exercise. They found the same patterns, which suggests that people also grow new brain cells when they exercise."
Re:Ballonee (Score:4, Informative)
Now....I gotta try to remember where the hell the gym is??
Stallone isn't dumb (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Stallone isn't dumb (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Next Week (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Next Week (Score:2, Informative)
TFA doesn't strike me as terribly new. "Healthy body, healthy mind" is as old as the hills. If one has the discipline or talent to become truly -- truly -- outstanding in one thing, be it marathon-running or chess, that tendency towards success will cross over into other areas of their life. There is a sort of halo effect at work here. Be fucking exceptional at one thing, and start being pretty good at everything else.
Leonardo da Vinci could purportedly bend horseshoes, a feat considered a mark of skill among strongmen. Incidentally, most of the great 'golden-age' strongmen -- Sandow, Inch, Saxon, etc. -- were extremely aristocratic and well-spoken.
I absolutely aspire towards perfecting both mind and body. The further I bring the one, the more I seem to pull the other with it. Fritz Zwicky, the first physicist to theorize dark matter, would often intimidate his colleagues by doing one-arm push-ups. I'll never rock the science world as did Fritz, but in learning to do one-arm push-ups myself [a point of pride], I've learned a lot as a Physics student.
Go figure.
Um, How about this one (Score:2, Informative)
Edwin Hubble [exploritorium.com]
Re:Next Week (Score:3, Informative)
I don't know about you, but five miles a day eating salads and I'd feel a lot like killing myself.
I don't spend a few hours every day exercising so I can eat rabbit food.
Re:Ya, I'm not so sure... (Score:1, Informative)
One in 125,000,000 (500 * 500 * 500)
Re:Next Week (Score:3, Informative)
Also, 5 miles/day isn't required to lose weight. In fact, if losing weight is your primary goal sprints are far more effective both in weight loss and time (although taking someone who truly is sedentary and moving them straight to sprints is dumb too). Add in some resistance training and you're on the path to looking and feeling healthy.
Re:Next Week (Score:3, Informative)
Secondly, I was mentioning 5 miles/day not to lose weight but to stay in shape - I run to improve my stamina (I'm a climber) and to me, running helps improve my endurance. And running is just one example. Quite obviously, just running is not going to do everything (and if you have bad joints, might even be a bad thing for you). A combination of weights-training, running and aerobic sports is usually a good idea.
But for someone who fit the bill that the OP described, eating salads and running regularly is a good way to get the body started on the fitness path (eating good food is healthy for you and running regularly and will tire you out, helping you sleep better and feel fresher). Cutting down on sugar (Splenda is your friend!) and caffeine usually makes your body feel a lot healthier, too (you can always pamper yourself to the one cup in the morning, which will wake you up a lot more than if you are always hooked on coffee). And I won't go into the kind of harmful stuff that sodas contain.
I was merely describing where I'm at - I run about 5 miles a day and for the most part eat salads (I also happen to be a vegetarian, so it's a lot easier for me).