Here is an interesting article from the New York Times entitled “Phys Ed: Why Exercise Makes you Less Anxious.” A few interesting tid-bits to motivate you to work out more in 2010:
- Exercise stimulates the formation of new brain cells.
- New brain cells may not express the same genes in response to stress as older brain cells (meaning basically that the genes don’t get turned on and create proteins which then produce effects).
- Exercise can also change the activity of certain neurotransmitters, making the brain less responsive to stress.
- Moderate exercise reduces the effects of oxidative stress, which when brought on by anxiety can lead to cell death.
- “It looks more and more like the positive stress of exercise prepares cells and structures and pathways within the brain so that they’re more equipped to handle stress in other forms,” says Michael Hopkins, a graduate student affiliated with the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory Laboratory at Dartmouth.
- It may take 6 or more weeks for an exercise routine to induce some of these changes in the brain.
