How physical activity affects mental performance

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

There are many reasons why it is worth playing sports, especially after 40 years. Exercise that requires endurance will keep your brain working at full capacity, according to a study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin tried to find out if there is a connection between regular cardio training and cognitive ability in middle-aged people. The study involved 59 people aged 43 to 65 years. 32 participants were involved in sports and 27 were sedentary. The first group did aerobic and strength exercises for four days (7 hours a week), the other group devoted no more than 1 hour to training per week.

To obtain the results, a treadmill test was used, the blood flow velocity was measured using ultrasound, and a series of tests was carried out to assess the memory and attention of the subject.

As a result, the sports group performed well on memory tests and were faster at learning difficult questions. The participants who spent time training had better heart function and better blood circulation in the brain than the sedentary group.

The main conclusion of the study is that regular exercise has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, which, in turn, affects cognitive activity.

Dr. Martha Piron, the initiator of the study, is convinced that there is every reason to believe that middle-aged people who find time for physical activity not only have good health and avoid problems with the cardiovascular system, but also demonstrate extremely high cognitive abilities (despite that during this period they usually decrease).

Although most of the participants in the experiment were running, Piron argues that other forms of exercise, such as swimming or cycling, also have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, and therefore on cognitive performance.