Exercise Sharpens The Brain
The Age
Monday August 18, 2003
Tomporowski believes any activity that stimulates the nerves and muscles of the body for 15 to 20 minutes is enough to trigger the benefits in the brain.
Forget reading a book or listening to music, the best way to stimulate your brain might actually be a trip to the gym. According to triathlete and martial arts expert, Phillip Tomporowski, a spell of exercise will revitalise your mind. Melbourne runner Monica Namer says pounding pavement leaves her "clear-headed and energised."
In 1984, a panel of experts conducting a review of research for the National Institute of Mental Health in the United States concluded that exercise is positively related to several facets of mental health, such as reduced stress, anxiety and depression. Exercise was also found to trigger elevated mood states and an overall sense of improved well-being. However, there was little evidence to support the notion that physical exertion can help a person to think more clearly.
Convinced there was a link, Tomporowski, who has not only completed 50 triathlons but is also an associate professor of exercise science at the University of Georgia in the US, decided to investigate the relationship between exercise and a clear head. The result was an extensive review of 30 years of research published in the journal Acta Psychologica.
In a variety of tests that examined everything from focus and concentration to speed of responding and decision-making, it was found that aerobic exercise facilitates clear thinking by enriching the brain's ability to concentrate and construct logical decisions related to the world around us. The effects were seen in both men and women.
In one test, male soccer players ran on a treadmill for two 45-minute periods, with a short break in between. On three separate occasions - before they started running, after the first 45 minutes and after the second 45 minutes - the players were shown slides depicting real game situations. Their job was to decide what the next step in the game should be.
A panel of soccer experts found that the longer the players had been running, the better they were at making decisions.
In another test, addition and subtraction problems were given to female runners before and after 20-minute and 40-minute runs. Like the soccer players, the women got faster and better at solving the problems the longer they ran.
Researchers believe acute bouts of aerobic exercise work in a manner similar to a psycho-stimulant drug by triggering the release of hormones and chemicals such as adrenaline and noradrenaline, thought to be involved in the brain's processing systems.
The findings show that exercise may be a good way to clear the cobwebs from the head. As Tomporowski puts it, "After a bout of aerobic exercise you are more sensitive to changes in the world around you, better able to make good decisions, and when you need to act, you're quicker off the mark."
© 2003 The Age