A Pill for a Smarter, Younger You
Where can I get that? Turns out, at the gym! (Or any other place you exercise).
We’ve yet to have a post dedicated to the power of exercise and new findings about the benefits of movement. No better day than today, right? A couple of fascinating studies have just been released, expanding on the knowledge about physical activity’s benefits.
Pieces of DNA found in the white blood cells of individuals active in endurance sports were found to be better at dealing with the aging process, according to German researchers published in the journal Circulation. Findings relate these DNA parts—telomeres—to the plastic-coated tips on shoe laces. The longer telomere (plastic tip) found in active people protects the body (shoelace) from becoming damaged quite so quickly by the effects of aging.
Athletes were compared to healthy, non-smoking peers. Increased physical activity not only predicted longer telomeres, but also forecasted a lower body mass index, lower resting heart rate and lower cholesterol level.
Earlier research noted in the article found that exercise can make your body act nine years younger than it’s biological age. Talk about an incentive!
(Photo from Science Daily)
Additionally, good cardiovascular fitness can actually be related to a higher IQ, says a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. More than one million young adult, Swedish men were involved in this project, which related strong cardiovascular systems to higher intelligence (strength showed no correlation, but is still very important for other reasons). Logical thinking and verbal comprehension were the knowledge areas most affected by a healthy, active heart. Scientists believe that the cardiovascularly fit may have increased blood flow to the brain, lower anxiety, improved mood or less fatigue.
In the past, brain functioning, as it related to fitness, has generally focused on children and older adults (dementia prevention). With the addition of these findings, young adults now have one more reason to get their blood pumping.
Interestingly, since many sets of twins were included in the study, the researchers could analyze the role of genetics compared to environment in the brain/fitness phenomenon. It turns out that environment is key, not genetics, when talking about this healthy brain-healthy body link.
Bonus: This increased intelligence found in fit individuals can lead to a better (and often higher paying) job!
(Image from Art.com)
Another benefit: exercise can be free!
Water cooler conversation starter: Shin bone/tibial stress fractures, which are quite common in the running set, are likely fixable by increasing calf muscle strength! Waiting in line? Try rising up on your toes for a couple of beats, then lowering back to flat feet several times. (Shortening stride length just a bit may be helpful too, especially for male runners).
