Your Brain: On Running

So we know that exercise is great for a lot more reasons than making our body feel look and feel better physically. The last thing we are thinking about during a run or cardiovascular workout, is how that particular workout could possibly be benefiting our brain power. Surprisingly enough, we are actually giving our brain a workout as well. Check it out:

Starting your workout...

• Brain anticipates a challenge, and in response turns on the nervous system to conserve resources, increase heart rate and provide the working muscles with nutrients and oxygen. Go, go gadget hamstrings!

Five minutes into your workout...

• Signals sent back to the brain that you are working out which is considered a type of stress on the body.

• Fight or flight hormone and cortisol are released into the bloodstream- more or less depending on how fit you are in terms of cardiovascular fitness. Stress reactions may be mild in trained individuals or more intense in those with less training.

• Brain responds to the stress with a release in brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) which is a protein that actually stimulates brain activity. Benefits from this include more efficient learning, memory, and decision making. 

Once you reach the fifteen minute mark...

• Brain is flooded with neurotransmitters as a result of continuous physical exertion. 

• Those individuals who are not trained to run long distances will have an increase in the release of cortisol and may be tempted to stop as brain receptors that feel pleasure are completely blocked out due to this hormone production. 

• Well trained individuals will not release as much cortisol, and therefor will start to release endorphins, what we all know as the feely-goods, and motivation to keep going wont be far.

• Dopamine is also released in trained individuals at this time which dull your sensitivity to pain and give us even more of those feely-good feelings. Run Forest, run!

• Norepinephrine is also released at this time increasing alertness.

• Muscle cramping may begin at this time, due to not only dehydration, but your brain telling secondary muscles to fire as your primary working muscles start to tire. 

After an hour of running...

• Your brain will feel sharp and energized after you complete anywhere from 30-60 minutes of running. This is due to your blood pressure and heart rate staying elevated for a period of time after your workout is completed. And as long as you haven't completed depleted your dopamine in the brain like you would on a truly long run (80 minutes plus), you should continue to reap the benefits of a happy mood after your workout. 

Was that confusing?

Here's what you should take home...

• Challenging our body's cardiovascular system also increases brain function.

• It stimulates the brain and can improve memory, decision making and learning efficiency.

• The better trained you are, the more benefits you actually receive. So keep pushing through those first few tough workouts, it will get easier!

• Complete up to a 60 minute workout to get the full effect of feel good endorphins and dopamine that last hours after your workout is completed!