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Your brain is made up of about
100 billion neurons—the cells
that transmit information
throughout your body—and exercise
is key for creating a fertile environment
for them. As physical activity increases
the flow of blood and oxygen to your
brain, your body releases special pro-
teins called neurotrophic factors that
help neurons grow and live longer.
A 2012 University of British Colum-
bia study reported even more specific
benefits: aerobic exercise, researchers
found, expands the area of your brain
related to memory and learning.
Regular physical activity also lowers
your risk of developing dementia, espe-
cially if you start doing it in your 40s or
50s. “Midlife is a critical window for pro-
moting your brain health, because so
many of our chronic conditions start
then,” says Teresa Liu-Ambrose, Canada
Research Chair and director of the
Aging, Mobility, and Cognitive Neuro-
science Laboratory at UBC.
In fact, establishing a workout rou-
tine before you're 55 reduces the risk
of developing dementia by 30 per cent,
and of developing Alzheimer’s disease
by 45 per cent. (But it’s never too late!
People as old as 80 still see cognitive
gains when they start exercising.)FIND TIME FOR
RELAXATIONWhen your body believes
you’re in danger—whether
that’s from a true threat,
like a near-miss collision, or a
false one, like a fear-mongering
clickbait headline—the amygdala
area of your brain activates your
fight-or-flight response. This was
useful for our ancient ancestors
when they needed a boost of cor-
tisol to escape a predator, and it
can still be handy today to avoid
an accident. But an overuse of the
fight-or-flight pathways in your
brain can make them easier to
trigger—sending you into a state
of anxiety over smaller matters.
The good news is, it also works
the other way. Spending more
time in a relaxed, loving state of
mind makes those positive emo-
tions easier to access as well. The
brains of people who regularlyreader’s digest