Basic Pursuits

Evidence mounts that exercise has a lot to do with how your brain functions.

The latest theory is that it mildly stresses the brain and forces adaptive responses that ensure that the brain gets the energy that it needs. One of the responses is the release of growth factors.

Every day I see articles like, "7 Tricks to Keep You Motivated to Exercise" or "Five Reasons You Should Exercise."
The tricks and the reasons are good, but articles like this fail to address a simple but powerful reason why long term exercisers are successful.
They have formed a habit and their habit makes them feel better. Exercise - feel better. Repeat until addicted.

Ross Enamait's site Rosstraining is a premier source for great exercise ideas. Ross seeks ultimate fitness for his athletes and is certainly an expert in attaining it.

In reading his recent article The Power of Patience I was struck by how much the patience problem among dedicated athletes resembles the patience problems of folks just trying to learn to exercise for health.

My man, Gaines Adams, is a defensive lineman drafted in the first round by Tampa Bay last year. He had an ok first year, and knows he can do better. According to this article from the St. Pete Times, he's put better eating at the top of his ways-to-improve list.

Here is another litany of great reasons to exercise.

I've been reading these for years. The real issue is why people don't take advantage of it. It's just a habit. We all have habits.

You Name It, and Exercise Helps It

In writing about motivation to exercise, John Wesley at PicktheBrain lists 10 reasons to work out that have nothing to do with a sexy bod. Good job.

All of his reasons are good, but I still insist on focusing on the biggest reason why people maintain a long term exercise habit. It's simple. They do it because it makes them feel better. Whether they have more testosterone, or sleep better, or gain self confidence, whatever, they feel better.

Evidence continues to mount that exercise has enormous benefits on the brain. A while back we posted on research that showed that brain workouts like crossword puzzles, while effective, aren't nearly as effective as regular exercise for brain health. You're much better off taking a walk than sitting around doing a crossword puzzle.

Now, Britain's The Independent has just published an article that gives a general survey of the latest thinking on exercise and mental health.

Science is learning that exercise is holistic. It has more to do with well-being than simply improving aerobic capacity.

People who are sedentary experience immediate and measurable gains in energy levels when they embark on a low intensity exercise program. Low intensity means in this instance a leisurely 20-minute walk three times a week. Low intensity exercisers reported a 20 percent reduction in levels of fatigue and a 65 percent increase in energy levels.

A hundred or so years ago in the Midwest, a man was arrested, tried and imprisoned for bilking rose growers. He sold them a pill with instructions to put the pill in a bucket of water and pour it on the rose bush every day. Turns out that the pill was just compressed dirt. The cad!