I am grateful to be featured again in a two full-page article in the latest issue of Sunday Times.
This time round, the article is aimed at people age 40 (the middle-aged group) and above, and how specific physical exercises (not just sudoku or mahjong) can improve their/our (since I am 51 myself) cognitive functions. In other words, exercise makes you less of a candidate for brain diseases like dementia and it makes you smarter too.
I can attest to the effects because I've done many before and after exercise brain-related tests (eg IQ and memory tests) on clients and myself, and the outcomes are very very encouraging. There was an improvement of 5 to 20% in the results of those tested. Granted, they were not conducted in a tightly-controlled environment (informal, fun setting) nor did I use a large sample size (granted, it might even be due to placebo effects), but what matters is that there were significant improvements at my end!
The newspaper cited many such scientific studies done at global levels and these studies tallied with mine - certain exercises create better brain, not just the body and health!
How does exercise give you better brain?
It does so via few pathways:
A part of the brain, called the hippocampus, that controls all the thinking and memory, typically begins to shrink in late adulthood, leading not only to impaired memory but also an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer's. Science have revealed that exercise increases the size of the hippocampus.
Exercises increases the levels of Brain-derived Neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a key molecule in the brain and improves blood flow to the brain thereby increasing the flow of nutrients to the brain, and, in turn, improve cognition.
Improves mood and sleep, hence reducing stress and anxiety which frequently cause or contribute to cognitive impairment.
While I can't transform you into geniuses like Einstein and Mark Zuckerberg (both were/are avid exercisers too), I believe I can greatly delay your onset of getting brain-related diseases like Dementia and Alzheimer's, not to mention other age-related declines in areas like agility, strength, bone mass, muscle tissue, cardio, balance etc etc. With a smarter brain, superior fitness, and a much better quality of life, imagine how much more you can achieve and contribute to others (and maybe the world!). Don't be a slave to gourmet food, gadgets, entertainment, luxury items, toxic relationships, instant gratifications, and other worldly possessions that don't really bring value to anything. Take your game to the next level and develop a all-round healthy self instead!
The end result is priceless.
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