“When sedentary adults in one study jogged for half an hour 2 or 3 times a week for 12 weeks, their memory and ability to juggle tasks improved by 30 percent. Just as important: Inactivity stops this process. When the participants returned to their couch potato ways, they lost 10 percent of the gain after 6 weeks.”
Next time you’re asked why you bother to exercise, tell them you’re building your Hippocampus. Believe me, 98% will think it’s a new muscle group:
“A 2007 study found that exercisers who did two 3-minute sprints memorized new words 20 percent faster afterward than those who skipped the workout. Cardio exercise increases blood flow, triggering growth in the area of the hippocampus responsible for memory and verbal learning, research shows. The proliferation of new brain cells may actually be linked to a bigger brain. In a University of Pittsburgh study, the most aerobically fit had an average 7 percent larger hippocampus size than their sofa-sitting peers did.”
Motivation! Now get back on the treadmill. Now.
Read the complete article, along with its 7-day plan called the “ultimate brainpower workout” here on MSNBC. Work That Hippocampus, People!