Resitance Training and Brain Health: Blog # 6 - Sole to Soul Coaching

Now onto benefit # 6 of resistance training – our secret to longevity – BRAIN HEALTH.

For this benefit – I am going to combine brain health with mental health –because they go together.  In my opinion, brain health is the most important benefit because our brain health is necessary to foster all the other benefits;  maintaining muscle growth, creating fat loss, hormone balance and bone and joint health together.  Let’s face it, if we don’t maintain brain and mental health – all our efforts to keep up with our workouts, healthy eating, etc. go to the wayside.

How does resistance changing help our brain/mental health?

Resistance training has the potential to help reduce age-related cognitive decline and the risk of conditions like dementia.   Specific exercises (like ones we do in my classes) work both sides of the brain supercharging your mental circuits to boost your memory and beat stress.  

Strength training can also improve mental well-being, thanks to optimizing neurochemicals like endorphins. Exercise activates these feel-good substances, which alleviate stress, elevate mood, and support a positive mental outlook.  In my classes, we get our “happy juices” flowing!

Physical activity may also benefit your brain in a number of other ways, each of which, in turn, helps your brain to retain memory and optimal functioning:

• Promoting cardiovascular health. “What’s good for the heart is good for the brain,” Dr. Ross says.
• Improving blood flow to your brain.
• Reducing inflammation.
• Lowering levels of stress hormones.

And, – this is very cool – exercise may provide physical benefits to your brain itself, too. Exercising can increase the thickness of your cerebral cortex and improve the integrity of your white matter (the nerve fibers that connect areas of the brain’s nerve-cell-rich gray matter). Exercise also promotes neuroplasticity, which is your brain’s ability to form new neural connections — in other words, your ability to learn throughout your life.

Studies show that one of the key places these changes take place is in the hippocampus, which is a very important area of the brain for memory.  In studies of the brain, results show that people who get recommended amounts of exercise see some improvement in their hippocampus, which helps improve learning and memory.

Stay tuned — two more benefits coming your way and recommendations for how much resistance training we need each week. 

In the meantime and for more wellness for your brain health — do you use clean fragrance?  Yes — clean and healthy self care is very important for our mental and brain health as well as physical health.  Beautycounter just released their new non-toxic Eau De Parfum!  Reach out if you want a sniff/sample.  Or hop on over here to check it out and the recent promo to celebrate their anniversary! 

xo,

Christine

nourish. move. meditate.

🥕💪🧘‍♀️