Our senses get sharper through exercise. But don't take my word for it.
Turns out exercise is good for your brain, too!
Researchers in the United States recently republished some startling results, but ones that should come as no surprise to anyone who has done brisk exercise in the last few years.
Turns out exercise is a turn on for your brain!
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/this-is-your-brain-on-exercise?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Who knew?
Well, as it turns out, a lot of people, but in any case, now there is quantifiable research that indicates exactly what happens to your brain when you when exert your body. Besides the production of endorphins, which, of course, make you feel AMAZING, it turns out vigorous exercise (defined for this study as activity with an elevated heart rate), helps your brain interpret incoming messages, make you more alert and increase brain activity overall.
From the article:
While the myriad ways exercise can shape our bodies are well known, researchers have long suspected the same might be true of the brain. Decades of research have gone into examining the effect of exercise on attention, memory, and visual sensitivity, according to Richard Maddock, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California Davis. “There is a very consistent finding that the brain works better after exercise,” Maddock says. But why that is has been harder to figure out.
As they put it, the brain is in a different gear when it the body is in motion. I think they're right, but I'm just a trainer, man.
Here are a few links that might get you started:
https://www.marclalondeexperience.com/home/weight-training-101-exercise-2-the-bench-press
Anecdotal evidence in some places suggests that exercise also rides the body of cortisol, burning off the fight-or-flight stress-activated chemical’s production in the brain, instead increasing levels of feelings of joy and self-worth. There’s also nothing like combining the benefits of daily exercise and the effects those feelings of achievement through gains in strength can engender in the psyche.
In addition, high levels of exercise can make your eyesight sharper and your hearing more sensitive.
Taken together, these findings indicate that “people see more clearly and immediately after exercise,” Maddock says. “They can make finer visual distinctions; their perceptions are sharper.”
In a world that is become more and more sedentary, these brain functions are more important than ever, and historically, they have proved important simply for human survival. With human activity at an all-time low, it makes more sense than ever to get moving, quickly, and doing it often.
I’ll repeat the simple math equation for making positive changes to the body and it’s 52 x 3, or 52 x 4, or 52 weeks multiplies by however many times a week you’re willing to elevate you heart rate, leave you comfort zone and get better.
Your brain is counting on it.