Cycling and the brain
After exercising, your brain will be at peak activity for a few hours.
Improvement of your memory, reasoning, and planning take place after 30 mins of spinning on a stationary bike.
Grow your mind on your bike
Exercise is like fertilizer for your brain. Rich capillary beds are not only created in your quads and glutes, but also in your gray matter. The more blood vessels you have traveling through your brain and muscles the more oxygen and nutrients helping them function.
When you pedal, you are forcing nerve cells to fire. This intensifies the creation of proteins like brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and a compound called noggin which promotes the formation of new brain cells. This is building your brain and realizing neurotransmitters (the messengers between your brain cells) all these new and old cells are now communicating better and faster.
As we age, our brain shrinks and those connections weaken. Exercising restores and protects our organs. A study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign brought together 59 sedentary volunteers between the ages of 60-79 who either joined an exercise program or were inactive for six months. Results of this experiment conclude that after only three months, people who exercised had the brain volume of those three years younger.
Ride your way smarter
“Too little and your brain doesn’t get what it needs to work optimally. Too much and your body has sapped the glucose and other resources it need, so it hindered until it recovers.” The balance is right after 30-60 minutes of aerobic riding at about 75% of your maximum heart rate or an effort of 7 on a scale of 1 (standing) and 10 (going all out).
Positive Spin
Cycling also has its emotional benefits as it helps elevate your mood, relieve anxiety, increase stress resistance and even banish the blues.
James Blumenthal, PhD, Professor of behavioral medicine in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University had mentioned that, “Exercise works as well as psychotherapy and antidepressants in the treatment of depression, maybe even better.” Another 26-year research proved that 20-30 minutes of exercise a day – can prevent depression over the long term.
As you pedal past the 20 to 30-minute mark, other mood lifting chemicals like endorphins and cannabinoids (same family of chemicals that give pot smokers their high) kick in.
Riding your bike also helps you to keep hormones like adrenaline and cortisol in check, meaning you’ll feel less stressed and you’ll bounce back from anxiety-filled situations more easily.
Keep in mind: Even though exercise is healthy, exercise is also a stress, especially if you are just starting to exercise or ride.
What’s the cycling prescription? A recent study on exercise and depression came up with the following guidelines; 3-5 sessions a week, each session being 45-60 minutes keeping your heart rate between 50-85% or your maximum.
So now that you’re pumped to pedal and exercise remember we are here to help you achieve your health and wellness goals at all levels of function
If you have any questions, please call 561-408-0903
We provide our services to Palm Springs, Lake Clarke Shores, Greenacres, Lake Worth, Palm Beach, Manalapan, Hypoluxo, and Wellington.
