mental fatigue and cognitive aging, but also with respect to
neurodegenerative diseases that involve mitochondrial
dysfunction, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s
disease, and ALS. This may be why a large King’s College
London twin study showed a strong link between leg
strength (involving the largest muscles in your body) and
brain volume, with decreased cognitive aging across ten
years.^9
All this taken together is why anaerobic exercise is a
vital part of the brain health and cognitive optimization
equation. Arthur Weltman, who heads the exercise
physiology laboratory at the University of Virginia in
Charlottesville, perhaps said it best in an interview with the
website ScienceNews: “In order for physiological systems to
adapt, they need to be overloaded.” Whether that means
hitting the weight room and “lifting heavy things,” pushing
yourself to your limits on a stationary bike for a few
moments (rinse and repeat), or adding some all-out sprinting
to your cardio routine, including anaerobic exercise in your
routine is a major opportunity to optimize your cognitive
function.
HIGH-DOSE ANTIOXIDANTS—A CELLULAR
CRUTCH?
The call to your cellular machinery to grow stronger is
signaled by a temporary increase in free radical–mediated
stress, brought on by exercise. Take this pressure away and