Got Problems to Solve? Need More Brain Power? Try Exercise
By Gene Millen
Introductory comments
By Royane Real
Author of : “How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative”
Have you ever had times when you felt frustrated with your brain? Times when you needed some sort of creative break-through in your thinking habits, but you just couldn’t get your stodgy old brain to do what you wanted it to do? When you just kept mulling things over in your head and going around in circles?
The next time you need to come up with some fresh angles to a problem, instead of studying harder and worrying more, why not give your brain an exercise break? Get up, get out and go for a walk. Or stretch and jump up and down for a few minutes. Yell or sing if you want to. Take a five minute break and when you go back to the problem that you’re working on, chances are that you’ll feel renewed vigor and a fresh outlook.
Why does an exercise break help jump start your brain? One reason is that by getting up and doing something different, your brain can refocus. When you come back to the same problem, you may see new solutions.
By making the time to physically exercise, you’ll get more oxygenated blood flowing into those tiny little capillaries that nourish your brain cells.
It’s not just idle speculation and anecdotal evidence that says physical exercise helps your brain think and perform better. More and more clinical evidence is piling up from human and animal studies that show the brain gets a short term boost and a long term boost when physical exercise is part of your regular routine.
Besides helping to get more oxygen into your bloodstream, exercise is also a great stress releaser, and stress is one of the more common reasons why your brain might not be working at maximum efficiency.
In the feature article here by Gene Millen you can read more reasons why exercise is a good way to “rev up” your brain power.
( The above introductory comments were written by Royane Real, author of “How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative” You can get it at http://www.lulu.com/real )
Feature article:
Got Problems to Solve? Need More Brain Power? Try Exercise
By Gene Millen
Creative people have known for years that a link exists between exercise and solving problems. Charles Dickens orchestrated many of his novels after his amble through the streets of London . Frank Lloyd Wright engineered landmark designs after his daily saunter.
Many people have devised answers to their dilemmas after mopping floors or scrubbing windows. Any physical activity can produce a flash of insight or offer a creative solution. While studies are not definitive, researchers are beginning to understand this synergism between exercise and creative problem solving.
Scientists have documented that exercise does several things. First, it keeps muscles, including the heart, in good condition. Next, workouts burn calories that might end up as fat. Additionally, an exercise regimen strengthens the immune system and wards off sickness. Finally, proper exercise promotes a sense of well being and reduces the effects of stress.
Now add this latest finding: Exercise triggers, even accelerates the brain’s problem-solving abilities. Recent studies at the University of Illinois have found that exercise increases the number of blood vessels nourishing the brain.
It was shown after four weeks of running on a treadmill, white rats averaged a 20% increase in the number of blood vessels servicing the brain. This additional brain nourishment speeds up our thinking. There is one problem however; rats seem to enjoy the exercise treadmill more than humans do.
Exercise can also put a person in a "flow state" where time seems to fly and worries vanish. In such a state of mind, things are on automatic. While your body is working your mind is at play. As a result, exercise relieves pressures, frees up thinking and allows the mind to come up with new solutions to problems.
If "an apple a day keeps the doctor away", then it may be possible that "a little exercise a day keeps the problems away", or at least under control.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The cardiologist looked up from the treadmill report and grimly stated, "You are a walking time bomb. You need to go to the hospital immediately." Two days later a heart surgeon sawed open Gene Millen's chest and stitched in bypasses to six clogged arteries.
"A six way heart bypass isn't a record" said Gene, "but it's not bad for a skinny 59 year old with normal cholesterol and blood pressure. The villains and heroes in the heart attack melodrama may surprise you as they have me."
Gene Millen reviews new research on heart attack risks that are more dangerous than high cholesterol... and how natural supplements and heart vitamins can send them packing! Check out The Heart Health website at http://www.heart-health-for-life.com
Article Source: http://www.ExpertArticles.com
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