…A Healthy Mind In A Healthy Body: How Exercise Boosts Your Brain…

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We all know about the benefits that exercise has on our bodies. Different activities have different purposes, and a wide range of gym workouts will allow you to stay on top of personal fitness. But that’s just one part of health. There is another side which is at least equally important to good muscle tone and speedy injury recovery. What should you be doing to ensure your mind is fit, too?

After all, the concept of a healthy mind in a healthy body can be traced back to the first few centuries AD. The Roman poet Juvenal talked about “mens sana in corpore sano”. But we have moved away from the idea in many ways, with a lot of people focusing more on one than on the other. But there are clear and obvious benefits to taking a more holistic approach.

If You’re Looking To Resolve An Issue, Take A Walk

All too often, we spend hours thinking about an issue and feel no more sure at the end of those hours than when we started. Sitting down and brainstorming can help, but it can also leave us with more questions than answers. Instead, it might be an idea to put on those walking shoes and pound the pavement (or any other terrain) for awhile.

It’s been demonstrated that regular walking helps build connections between brain cells. It’s also been proven to stave off the age-related withering of brain tissue. Perhaps as important, it physically distances you from the space where you’ve been struggling for answers. This has a related psychological effect into the bargain,

If You Want To Think More Clearly, Get On Your Bike

We’re always reading about the benefits of cycling – it’s good for the environment and keeps you in shape. Those are two reasons that in and of themselves make it worthwhile. If you’re concerned that you need to look like a dayglo nightmare to do it, don’t be. Classy cycling gear is available from an increasing number of sources such as Retro2Ride.com.

What’s more, there is more and more evidence that regular cycling will help your brain as much as it boosts your body. If you’re familiar with the feeling of “brain fog” (http://www.prevention.com/health/brain-fog-and-your-health), you’ll know how frustrating it can be. Cycling boosts the building and upkeep of neurons in your brain – which help you think quicker and sharper.

If You Want To Ace Decision-Making, Give Yoga A Try

We are all by now aware of the benefits of brain-training apps and how they promote a healthy mind. However, surprisingly, there are better ways to boost the decision-making parts of your brain.

Focusing on a study group of people with impaired cognitive function, a recent experiment indicated that yoga may be the answer. Over the course of twelve weeks, half the group followed a brain-training course and the other half took up yoga.

Both groups showed highly impressive results. However, the yoga group out-performed the brain training group. Indeed, not only did cognitive performance improve, they saw a marked boost in how different parts of their brains worked together.

Then again, there is nothing to say you can’t do both – it never hurts to have more than one string to your bow.