Texans Who Exercise Could Become Smarter For The Effort

Texans who exercise will enjoy many physical rewards. In fact, researchers like John T. Ratey, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of "A User's Guide to the Brain," now believe the benefits also extend to the brain. "Exercise is really for the brain, not the body. It affects mood, vitality, alertness, and feelings of well-being," says Dr. Ratey.

Stephen C. Putnam agrees, discovering that canoeing helped him overcome the symptoms of adult ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). His subsequent book, "Nature's Ritalin for the Marathon Mind," outlined the benefits of exercise on troublesome brain disorders such as ADHD, a neurological/behavioral condition resulting in hyperactivity and the inability to focus on tasks. Putnam cites studies of children who ran around for 15 to 45 minutes before class, resulting in improved in-class behavior versus those who did not exercise.

Research also suggests that physical activity may cause new stem cells to grow, refreshing the brain and other body parts. According to Dr. Ratey, nerve growth factors are stimulated. "I call it Miracle-Gro for the brain," he says.

Christin Anderson, a wellness and fitness coordinator at the University of San Francisco, said exercise affects many sites within the nervous system and sets off pleasure chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine which produce feelings of calm, happiness, and euphoria. Physical activity may also help individuals living in Austin, Houston, Dallas and elsewhere in Texas, to think more clearly and perform better due to the stimulation of the nervous system.

Exercise may also be a mechanism to fight symptoms of depression. One study reported in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness in 2001, involved 80 young male and female volunteers who were tested for mood and then, performed aerobics for an hour. Of the 80 participants, 52 were depressed prior to working out. That group was the most likely to benefit, reporting a reduction in anger, fatigue, and tension. They also felt more vigorous after exercising.

Researchers at Duke University studied 150 people, 50 or older, who had been diagnosed with depression. The participants were divided into three groups and given exercise, an antidepressant drug, or a combination of the two as treatment for four months. At the end of the four months, all three groups felt better. But after six months, the exercise group had relapsed at significantly lower rates than the groups which took the antidepressant, or the combination of exercise and the antidepressant. Researchers felt that giving the antidepressant along with the exercise possibly undermined the effects, saying the combination group might have preferred to feel they had worked for their improvement rather than having to take a pill.

The study results don't mean that exercise is a cure-all for every case of depression. Bipolar disorder also does not seem to respond as well to exercise. On the other hand, anxiety disorders sometimes respond even more quickly.

Single bouts of exercise have been said to reduce anxiety for several hours afterward, although there may be a lag time before the improved mood sets in if exercise is too intense. The lesson may be that low to moderate forms of exercise are best for brain training, with perhaps 8 to 12 minutes a day intense exercise including sweating and breathing-hard exercise. Regardless of the amount or intensity, the type of exercise can be selected based on a person's personality, and its important to pick something that's enjoyable.

Exercising your mind and body can result in many positive rewards. If you're a young individual who tries to keep informed and maintain a healthy condition and lifestyle, you should take a look at the revolutionary comprehensive and highly affordable individual health insurance solutions created by Precedent specifically for you. For more information, visit us at our website, www.precedent.com. We offer a unique and innovative suite of individual health insurance products, including highly competitive HSA-eligible plans, and an unparalleled "real time" application and acceptance experience.

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