Exercise and Brain Health

Education Series by Randy Hebert, MD, Medical Director

We all know that our muscles only get stronger if exercised.

Interestingly, the brain responds the same way. Our brains get stronger through regular challenges that involve going beyond day-to-day activities.

These challenges can include learning a new skill, focusing on something unfamiliar, doing brain tasks (e.g. puzzles, games, etc.)

Just like a good workout exercises the muscles, a good mental workout exercises the brain.

Oby, Emily R., et al. “New neural activity patterns emerge with long-term learning.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 116.30 (2019): 15210-15215.