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In this post I had chosen to elaborate on Dylan's video on “The Benefits of Steady State Cardio” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BuLL5mQkgI) with an academic spin.
I opted to focus on new and current studies that emerged in the past year that have shown multitudinous benefits to aerobic exercise that extends way beyond the conventional wisdom. Here is a sneak peak to how your brain thanks you for doing your Cardio.
Steady state cardio can improve your reasoning ability, attention, memory, spatial orientation and navigation by forming new brain cells
The part of our brain responsible for those activities is called the Hippocampus. A great deal of the junctions (synapses) between neurons are formed and lost throughout life, but the older we get, the more we lose – a fact of life. Accumulating data from both animal and human research show that aerobic exercise routines can cause formation of new nerve cells that govern those functions. This is so much so, that the WHO (World Health Organization) is now investigating aerobic exercise as a form of therapy for Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease(1).
Steady state cardio can improve your vision
An interesting study had investigated various animal models, and has proven that engaging in regular aerobic exercise causes structural changes in the part of the brain that interprets what we see. This part, the visual cortex, is responsible for most of the information processed in the brain (our eyes actually deliver more information than any other sense). The visual cortex's function also declines with time as we age, but this study directly implicates steady state cardio with the ability to preserve visual function, and visual reflexes throughout our lifetime(2).
Steady state cardio has been shown to improve motor functions
Aerobic exercise has also been demonstrated to improve functions of a region in the brain called the Striatum. This area governs our ability to execute and initiate precise movements as well as improve motor learning. Brain imaging has shown that adults undertaking cardio as a routine, had improved function in that area of the brain throughout their lives(3).
Steady state cardio may literally help you stay sane
Studies have shown that aerobic exercise acts on the previously mentioned Hippocampus region of the brain, that are damaged during various psychiatric diseases, including schizophrenia, cognition decline and psychosocial responses. Adults undertaking cardio training regularly demonstrate a healthy brain that has been proven to be less likely to develop all of these conditions. This is also currently explored as a therapy modality in the field of clinical psychiatry(4).
Steady state cardio helps combat neuropathic pain
Neuropathic pain is chronic pain that arises on the background of injury to nerve cells, that could occur, for an example after a nerve trauma in an accident - and may last for life. It has been shown that aerobic exercise causes the brainstem to produce compounds that act inside the spinal cord, that blocks pain signals from reaching the brain(5).
P.S. A shout out to the members of this forum, as well as Dylan – for being so open to furnishing this forum with an academic view on sports physiology. It's refreshing to see a platform that welcomes the marriage between experience and science. Right on.
References can be found in the following post
I opted to focus on new and current studies that emerged in the past year that have shown multitudinous benefits to aerobic exercise that extends way beyond the conventional wisdom. Here is a sneak peak to how your brain thanks you for doing your Cardio.
Steady state cardio can improve your reasoning ability, attention, memory, spatial orientation and navigation by forming new brain cells
The part of our brain responsible for those activities is called the Hippocampus. A great deal of the junctions (synapses) between neurons are formed and lost throughout life, but the older we get, the more we lose – a fact of life. Accumulating data from both animal and human research show that aerobic exercise routines can cause formation of new nerve cells that govern those functions. This is so much so, that the WHO (World Health Organization) is now investigating aerobic exercise as a form of therapy for Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease(1).
Steady state cardio can improve your vision
An interesting study had investigated various animal models, and has proven that engaging in regular aerobic exercise causes structural changes in the part of the brain that interprets what we see. This part, the visual cortex, is responsible for most of the information processed in the brain (our eyes actually deliver more information than any other sense). The visual cortex's function also declines with time as we age, but this study directly implicates steady state cardio with the ability to preserve visual function, and visual reflexes throughout our lifetime(2).
Steady state cardio has been shown to improve motor functions
Aerobic exercise has also been demonstrated to improve functions of a region in the brain called the Striatum. This area governs our ability to execute and initiate precise movements as well as improve motor learning. Brain imaging has shown that adults undertaking cardio as a routine, had improved function in that area of the brain throughout their lives(3).
Steady state cardio may literally help you stay sane
Studies have shown that aerobic exercise acts on the previously mentioned Hippocampus region of the brain, that are damaged during various psychiatric diseases, including schizophrenia, cognition decline and psychosocial responses. Adults undertaking cardio training regularly demonstrate a healthy brain that has been proven to be less likely to develop all of these conditions. This is also currently explored as a therapy modality in the field of clinical psychiatry(4).
Steady state cardio helps combat neuropathic pain
Neuropathic pain is chronic pain that arises on the background of injury to nerve cells, that could occur, for an example after a nerve trauma in an accident - and may last for life. It has been shown that aerobic exercise causes the brainstem to produce compounds that act inside the spinal cord, that blocks pain signals from reaching the brain(5).
P.S. A shout out to the members of this forum, as well as Dylan – for being so open to furnishing this forum with an academic view on sports physiology. It's refreshing to see a platform that welcomes the marriage between experience and science. Right on.
References can be found in the following post
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