Exercise is Medicine
"If exercise could be purchased in a pill it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation." -Dr. Robert Butler, MD, National Institute on Aging
Don't Succumb to Stigmas
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I don't blindly think exercise can fix everything, but I do know that appropriate exercise can help everything!
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You don't need to run marathons or power lift to reap the benefits of exercise
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A 6-pack or bulging muscles are not indicators of health, many exceptionally healthy people lack these over valued metrics, pursuing these can cause more harm than good
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Moderate activity is all it takes to improve your health, combat countless diseases and stave off age-related decline
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Find activities you enjoy to stress your body to make these life-changing adaptations, such as dancing, hiking, or walking a dog. The key is to enjoy what you choose and to be consistent
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Learn more through the American Academy of Sports Medicine!
Neuroplasticity = Learning
Our brains are malleable based on our experiences, this is why we have fond memories associated with certain places or music. When the events occur simultaneously, the brain cells called neurons that fire for each separate occurrence form connections to each other in a sense neurons that fire together wire together. This principle allows us to build or break habits, learn new motor skills, or break out of cycles of chronic pain.
Higher Aerobic fitness has been shown to be associated with an increase in total brain volume, and better motor performance both with significant potential to improve our quality of aging. On the other hand, sedentary behavior has been shown to relate to more random assignment of blood vessels in the brain which would likely produce the opposite effects. While an individual can be perfectly healthy without "abs" being significantly overweight can lead to cognitive impairment by downregulating neuroplastic proteins and leading to a chronic inflammatory state. The hippocampus is the major site in the brain for learning and coincidentally is the most sensitive region to aerobic exercise.
Aerobic exercise leads to the release of neurotrophic factors (BDNF, IGF-1, and VEGF) which are a series of chemicals that enhance brain development. This cocktail of chemicals functions to optimize long term brain changes such that we can use to reach whatever goals are unique to us. Additionally, single bouts of cardiovascular exercise have been shown to improve cognitive function for a short period, making it an excellent precursor working on a difficult project or trying to learn something new. The most notable improvements are seen in attention, memory, planning, learning, and speed of processing.
For more information on anything on this page please read the document at the top or refer to the articles in the reference list.
Improving Mood
Most people have heard of neurotransmitters such as oxytocin being the love chemical, or serotonin being the key to happiness, neurotransmitters help us regulate our emotions. 3/10 people will suffer a major depressive event in their lifetime, this is a common problem especially when dealing with an injury. Depression, anxiety, and PTSD all have research indicating improvements associated with cardiovascular exercise. It is beginning to emerge that poor mental health might be related to impaired neuroplasticity, and one of the most conservative means to target this is through exercise.
This is another instance where sedentary behavior has been shown to reduce the durability of mood states, making us more susceptible to the stressors of life. Adipocytes or "fat cells" in lean individuals help promote more balance in our metabolism while their role in obese individuals shifts to produce inflammatory messengers called cytokines (TNF-alpha and IL-6). TNF alpha and IL-6 have both been linked to depressive behavior which can be influenced through exercise.
Exercise has been shown to improve self-esteem, reduce stress, depression and anxiety with high and low intensity interventions.
References
1) Yamazaki Y, Sato D, Yamashiro K, et al. Inter-individual differences in working memory improvement after acute mild and moderate aerobic exercise. PLoS One. 2018;13(12):e0210053. Published 2018 Dec 31. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0210053
2) Mellow ML, Goldsworthy MR, Coussens S, Smith AE. Acute aerobic exercise and neuroplasticity of the motor cortex: A systematic review. J Sci Med Sport. 2020;23(4):408-414. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2019.10.015
3) Cassilhas RC, Tufik S, de Mello MT. Physical exercise, neuroplasticity, spatial learning and memory. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2016;73(5):975-983. doi:10.1007/s00018-015-2102-0
4) Walsh JJ, Tschakovsky ME. Exercise and circulating BDNF: Mechanisms of release and implications for the design of exercise interventions. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2018;43(11):1095-1104. doi:10.1139/apnm-2018-0192
5) Firth J, Stubbs B, Vancampfort D, et al. Effect of aerobic exercise on hippocampal volume in humans: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroimage. 2018;166:230-238. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.11.007
6) El-Sayes J, Harasym D, Turco CV, Locke MB, Nelson AJ. Exercise-Induced Neuroplasticity: A Mechanistic Model and Prospects for Promoting Plasticity. Neuroscientist. 2019;25(1):65-85. doi:10.1177/1073858418771538
7) Li F, Liu BB, Cai M, Li JJ, Lou SJ. Excessive endoplasmic reticulum stress and decreased neuroplasticity-associated proteins in prefrontal cortex of obese rats and the regulatory effects of aerobic exercise. Brain Res Bull. 2018;140:52-59. doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2018.04.003
8) Meyer JD, Crombie KM, Cook DB, Hillard CJ, Koltyn KF. Serum Endocannabinoid and Mood Changes after Exercise in Major Depressive Disorder. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2019;51(9):1909-1917. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000002006
9) Mikkelsen K, Stojanovska L, Polenakovic M, Bosevski M, Apostolopoulos V. Exercise and mental health. Maturitas. 2017;106:48-56. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2017.09.003
10)Crush EA, Frith E, Loprinzi PD. Experimental effects of acute exercise duration and exercise recovery on mood state. J Affect Disord. 2018;229:282-287. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.12.092
11)Stubbs B, Vancampfort D, Rosenbaum S, et al. An examination of the anxiolytic effects of exercise for people with anxiety and stress-related disorders: A meta-analysis. Psychiatry Res. 2017;249:102-108. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2016.12.020
12)Aylett E, Small N, Bower P. Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice - a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):559. Published 2018 Jul 16. doi:10.1186/s12913-018-3313-5
13)Uysal N, Yuksel O, Kizildag S, et al. Regular aerobic exercise correlates with reduced anxiety and incresed levels of irisin in brain and white adipose tissue. Neurosci Lett. 2018;676:92-97. doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2018.04.023
14)Leddy JJ, Haider MN, Ellis MJ, et al. Early Subthreshold Aerobic Exercise for Sport-Related Concussion: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2019;173(4):319-325. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.4397
15)Leddy JJ, Wilber CG, Willer BS. Active recovery from concussion. Curr Opin Neurol. 2018;31(6):681-686. doi:10.1097/WCO.0000000000000611
16)Leddy JJ, Haider MN, Ellis M, Willer BS. Exercise is Medicine for Concussion. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2018;17(8):262-270. doi:10.1249/JSR.0000000000000505
17)Chin LM, Keyser RE, Dsurney J, Chan L. Improved cognitive performance following aerobic exercise training in people with traumatic brain injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2015;96(4):754-759. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2014.11.009