Strength training not only strengthens muscles, it also stimulates the brain: study

Aptitude

By Adriana Diaz

Pumping iron has surprising health benefits.

A study recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that resistance training, like weight training, strengthens muscles throughout the body, as well as the brain.

These types of exercises reduce the risk of developing a wide range of medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, by improving the brain’s ability to access and process glucose.

Unstable blood sugar levels for long periods of time can cause inflammation and insulin resistance, which prevents brain cells from accessing the energy they need and can cause long-term damage.

However, the study found that a resistance training session decreases blood sugar and insulin levels for up to 24 hours.

To help beginners overcome the first hurdle, Claudette Sariya, a New York-based fitness trainer and personal trainer, has previously shared the six basic moves you need to master to start bodybuilding — none of which require picking up dumbbells.

“When it comes to working out, there are six basic moves,” Sariya told The Post.

She advises everyone to start mastering squats, hinges, push-ups, pull-ups, lunges, and carries using only their body weight before reaching for the weights.

“Once you feel comfortable with these movements, you can combine them into more complex movements,” the trainer said.

According to research, exercise could not only improve brain function, but also increase brain volume.

One study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, analyzed brain scans of more than 10,000 people and found that regular exercise, even just a few thousand steps, could be associated with greater brain volume.

Brain volume is correlated with brain health: lower volume indicates cognitive decline and, subsequently, could lead to dementia. An increase or maintenance of brain mass could therefore have “potential neuroprotective effects”, according to the team of researchers.

“We found that even moderate levels of physical activity, such as taking fewer than 4,000 steps per day, can have a positive effect on brain health,” study co-author Dr. David Merrill, director from the Brain Health Center of the Pacific Neuroscience Institute. , said in a statement.

Whether walking, running, or playing sports, people who participated in moderate to vigorous activity (exercise that increases their heart rate and breathing for at least 10 minutes) had more brain mass in several regions , like the hippocampus, responsible for memory. ; gray matter, which helps process information; and the occipital, frontal and parietal lobes.

The latest findings support the vast body of research promoting the many benefits of physical and mental exercise.