If you wish to rev up your brain without drinking ten cups of coffee a day, exercise is your answer!
You’d be surprised to hear about the numerous benefits of exercise- In fact, doing regular cardio can give you the lift, minus the jitters that come with caffeine overload.
Not only that, exercise can also help stabilise your mood and improve your sleep.
Exercise makes you smarter
Regularly working up a sweat is one of the best ways to boost your brain power.
When you go hard on the treadmill for thirty minutes, your brain gets pumped with the oxygen, chemicals and nutrients it needs for peak performance.
It’s like rocket fuel for your brain, improving your ability to focus, problem-solve and make decisions.
Memories are also more likely to stick.
However, research suggests that this mental high doesn’t last, so it’s important to hit the books soon after exercising.
Exercise improves your mood
Exercise releases mood-boosting hormones such as serotonin and dopamine. These chemicals help you feel happier, more motivated and less stressed.
Doing cardio for at least half an hour, 3 times a week seems to be enough to get results, but you’ll get the brain boost more quickly if you exercise daily.
Even so, mental resilience takes time to build, so it’s important to keep at it.
It’s good to gradually build up to your workouts.
Try mixing regular sessions of running and interval training with more complex exercise, such as tennis or dancing.
Because you need coordination for these activities, you’re using different areas of your brain.
It’s okay if, at some point, you need to take a break from regular workouts for a week or two.
It’ll only take a couple of days of hitting the gym for your brain to get back into its groove.
If doing cardio for half an hour seems too much, then try going for a short walk in a park during your lunch break.
It’s been shown that exercising outdoors for even just five minutes can lift your self-esteem and help you feel better about things.
Every little bit counts.
Improved sleep
For a lot of medical students, getting enough shut-eye is a constant battle.
Exercising on a regular basis has been shown to help with this but it’s no instant fix.
In fact, it may take more than a couple of months before you notice a big improvement.
But if you stick with it, you’ll likely find yourself sleeping much better, which will give you more energy to tackle the pressures of study.
Getting into the habit of exercising regularly is amazing for your brain, mood and sleep.
Sure, it doesn’t usually happen overnight but if you keep it up, you will notice the difference and have a better chance of acing those exams.
* The information contained in this site is general and is not intended to serve as advice. DPM Financial Services Group recommends you obtain advice concerning specific matters before making a decision.
