Most of us work out to improve our physicality and hopefully our allure. It’s a welcome time-out, giving our brains a rest, so it might come as a surprise to discover that our higher centres might be getting as much of a boost as our biceps.
One 6-month study has shown that doing weight training twice weekly with a progressive increase in the load and doing more repetitions as the muscles strengthened lead to an increase in memory suggesting a hike in the number of brain cells and an improvement in connectivity between these neurones.
One shorter study over 12 weeks has demonstrated that doing lower limb resistance exercises twice weekly, for example knee extensions and flexion, resulted in an alteration of brain neurochemistry corresponding with a preservation in brain health.
The next time you admire the ripple of your pecs in the mirror it might be an added incentive to realise that you’re also enhancing the volume of your brain matter.
