Regular exercise has been shown to ward off diseases caused by obesity and chronic inflammation, such as depression, high blood pressure, anxiety, diabetes, heart disease, brain fog, and more. If you didn’t need another reason to exercise more, here’s another one: regular exercise has been shown to change how the brain functions and reacts. As we age, perceived and actual cognitive function declines (also known as brain fog/feeling fuzzy etc.). Exercise can help you lower your blood pressure, improve levels of physical fitness, prevent depression, and look better. The link between exercise and happiness is real.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia found that regular aerobic exercise has the potential to boost the size of the hippocampus, the area of the brain associated with verbal memory and learning. It is estimated that by the year 2050, more than 115 million people will suffer from dementia worldwide, so this research could not have come at a better time.

Exercise helps with thinking and memory through multiple pathways. Exercise helps battle inflammation, reduce insulin resistance, and stimulate the release of numerous growth factors. These growth factors include new blood vessels in the brain, improved health of existing brain cells, and the growth and survival of new brain cells.  Studies have also shown that the medial temporal cortex and prefrontal cortex have a larger volume and size in people that work out versus people that don’t. These areas control memory and thinking. So, if you are looking for an increase in working memory, verbal memory, learning capacity, and thinking speed…. Exercise may be the answer to your concerns.

Exercise is linked to an increase in the production of positive hormones such as dopamine and serotonin, as well as antibodies, which are special types of proteins produced by the immune system. Antibodies help fight off potential infection from antigens such as viruses and bacteria. Exercise has been shown to increase antibody production by about 300% when compared to people who do not regularly exercise.

Looking for an all-natural treatment for depression? Look no further than aerobic exercise. According to a Harvard Medical School article, about 1 in 10 American adults regularly experience depression; while these numbers may seem high, there is a silver lining. Exercise has been shown to have similar efficacy towards the treatment of depression when compared to antidepressant medication. While severe, treatment-resistant depression may need additional treatment, exercise has been shown to help even the toughest cases. Exercise, as mentioned above, also helps cut down on negative symptoms associated with obesity and other health ailments; this, in turn, may alleviate some of the things that are causing the depression in the first place.

Exercise stimulates nerve growth in the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is associated with mood regulation; the hippocampus has been shown to be smaller in depressed individuals. Regular exercise can improve your mood through neuronal growth. Our best advice? Pick a form of exercise that you enjoy and get to it!

At Bike Tour Vacations, you already know what our favorite form of exercise is… the health benefits of cycling are numerous and can alleviate many of the mental and physical stresses of life in a healthy and safe way. Check out one of our previous blog posts about the numerous health benefits of bicycling.

We hope to see you on the trail!

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