Mr. Hand should’ve recommended that Jeff Spicoli take part in more endurance exercise. Photo: Filmgarb.com
Not that we’re insinuating anything about the mental capabilities of surfers, snowboarders or other outdoor athletes (damn you, “So pitted!” guy!). But if you’re looking to increase your brainpower along with the other benefits of exercise, you may want to choose a long-distance SUP paddle, a day of ski touring or trail running over shorter, harder workouts like strength or interval training. Or pumping a groveler down the line on a small day at Huntington Beach; that takes serious tree trunks.
No matter how many Jeff Spicoli jokes people make, all exercise is generally good for your brain. But a recent study showed that, at least in lab rats, endurance running had a much larger impact on learning and memory than weight-training or high-intensity interval workouts like Crossfit. Yes, scientists (kind of) did Crossfit and weight lifting with rats; they made them sprint a lot or climb a ladder with weights on their tails.
To get mentally swole while getting fit, exercise must be “aerobic and sustained,” write the authors of the study, published in the Journal of Physiology.
The scientists showed that endurance running gave the biggest boost in the creation of new brain cells, specifically in the hippocampus, the brain region that controls learning and memory. The term for new cell creation is neurogenesis, but endurance runners, skiers and paddlers probably knew that already. Miriam Nokia, a researcher at a Finnish university who led the study, told The New York Times that “sustained aerobic exercise might be most beneficial for brain health also in humans,” meaning you’re pretty much a large rat.
Experts think the reason that endurance training is better in this regard is that it’s less physiologically stressful that weight lifting or internal training.
Scientists have known for a while that endurance exercise can improve memory, but new research puts it into context compared to strength and interval training. Endurance exercise is also known to improve mood (not a problem for “So pitted!” guy) and attention span (very likely a problem for “So pitted!” guy).
