Exercise and Cognitive Function
Exercise has shown time after time to aid in increasing cognitive skills such as academic achievement, focus, and motivation. In regards to academic achievement, it has shown to aid in the increase of grades as a result of the increased focus and motivation from students. The improvements show no discrimination to the types of exercises being performed. As long as one is moving and increasing their heart rate, abilities will increase over time.
When we exercise lots of chemical changes and reactions happen in our bodies. This can include increased blood flow to the brain, thus causing more oxygen and nutrients to the brain. This increase in fuel aids in the increase of mental activity. Along with this, there are increases in neurotransmitters and grey matter in the brain. More simply said, the brains mechanical component becomes more efficient. The grey matter of the brain is a major component in memory and retention, so it is no wonder why academic performance is increased.
These beneficial effects do not happen overnight though. While many effects can be seen immediately after exercises, such as increased focus and attention, these effects can often subside after many hours. Many of the larger effects, like increased grey matter and motivation often occur after many bouts of exercise. This is why it's important to find time to get moving more than once a week. There are so many ways to get active, something as simple as going for a walk can be very impactful on cognitive function.
Not Convinced?
In a review of many studies, researchers found that aerobic exercise can be seen to improve both attention span and processing speed of information, thus having positive influences on memory. They found that those in the exercise training group had, “improvements in attention and processing speed, executive function and memory" (Smith et al., 2010). This means participants could focus longer, understand the information quicker, and remember more information for recall tests later.
Still, need more Convincing?
In another study, researchers tested if exercise would be more beneficial either before or after learning. They found that engaging in exercise at either time was beneficial and improved comprehension test scores, “exercise improved both the proactive effect, preparing the mind for learning and performance, and the reactive effect, learning and retrieving information” (Salis, 2013). This means exercising either before or after studying can aid in learning and memory, as well as, recall information learned later during the experiment.