28 August 2023 , 06:00
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Most of us have experienced a post-exercise high at one point or another. Whether it's from scaling the stairs at work or summiting a hill after a hike, there are plenty of challenges that boost us up. But it's not just the sense of accomplishment - or improved physical ability - that we stand to gain.
"The benefits of exercise are multi-system," as Professor Brendon Stubbs told The Mirror. A clinical-academic physiotherapist with King's College London, and a mental health researcher, he also works with ASICS to explore the importance of a 'sound body' and a 'sound mind'. So he knows all about the processes physical activity kickstarts in our brains - and the science that confirms the numerous benefits.
'Why then is exercise so good for us?' I hear you ask. One reason is because endorphins are released, as you may be aware, but "it's not solely due to them", said Prof Stubbs.
"As soon as you start to engage in sports and exercise just for ten minutes you get lighting up within key areas of the brain," he explained. These areas include the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for our concentration, and the amygdala, or "fear centre".
The amygdala is a "protective mechanism which looks out in the environment for any sort of danger," performing functions humans have needed ever since our hunter-gatherer days, according to the pro. "This is alert for different reasons for us and exercise helps to turn that down within just ten minutes or so," he added.
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"Another area that is lit up, and these change in size over time as well, is an area of the brain called the hippocampus, and this is an area which is reduced in many mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, dementia, and it is responsible for emotional processing and the storage of memories from short to long term. Just ten minutes of exercise can light up this area of the brain and over time what you can see is actual changes in the brain," said Prof Stubbs.
He continued: "The brain is a constantly evolving, growing structure, it is not that it stays this way forever. So you see immediate lighting up, like an electric lightbulb, and you see actual volume changes, and then we see the release of chemicals such as BDMF, which is kind of like your brain fertiliser. So this gets released then you get these new nerve cells grow, these new brain cells, these new synapses growing, and there are lots of other chemicals released that reduce inflammation and reduce your stress levels."