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FROM AL SEARS--
Richard,
Your brain is your body’s command center.
So it’s probably no surprise that it burns through a lot of energy.
And the supply of energy is delivered by blood flow. In fact, your brain needs the most blood of any organ in your body. One seventh of the blood from every heartbeat goes to your brain.
As a part of the famous Framingham Heart Study, researchers looked at blood flow and how it affected brain aging.
They tested the cardiac indices — that is, how much blood you can pump around your body — of more than 1,500 people who had not had a stroke, heart attack or signs of dementia.
They found that decreased blood flow is associated with accelerated brain aging.1
The single best way to increase blood flow to your brain is by working out. It will boost your mental sharpness and agility. In fact, we have a lot of evidence that your brain will function more successfully when you physically exert yourself.
For example, your skeletal muscles respond to exertion by creating more of the energy-producing cell engines called mitochondria. This creates many health benefits and helps you resist fatigue. The same is true for your brain.
The prestigious Journal of Applied Physiology did an animal study that looked at how exercise affects the creation of energy in the brain.
The animals did intense exertion for eight weeks.
When researchers looked at their brain chemistry, they found the animals had increased numbers of mitochondria in every part of the brain — and you already know how important these power generators are in restoring energy to your body!
The animals also had increased expression of special genes that help tell your brain to make energy.2
Another study, published in the journal Trends in Neurosciences, found that working out benefits both learning and memory. Physical exertion improves the strength of your synapses.3
This improved strength, called plasticity, gives you the mental drive that networks your brain for better cognition, memory, fluidity, versatility, and adaptability.
In fact, we’re now learning through many studies that increased blood flow to the brain may help you avoid Alzheimer’s.
But not all exercise is created equal. And not just any form of exertion works.
Cardiovascular endurance exercises won’t cut it. Doing those will shrink your heart and reduce its capacity to pump lots of blood to your brain.
You get the most benefit for your brain with short, high-intensity exercise intervals, like those in my Progressively Accelerating Cardiopulmonary Exertion (PACE) program.
PACE is my fitness training regimen that consists of short bursts of activity that incrementally increase in intensity over time. This builds capacity in your heart and lungs, allowing more blood and oxygen to get to the organs that need them the most, especially your brain.
During my research I came across a study showing that an incrementally intensive workout program like PACE increased blood flow levels by more than 400%.4
Do These Exercises To Give Your Brain,
And Yourself A Much-Needed Energy Boost
The beauty of the PACE program is that it gives you total control over your progression. It also allows you to choose the types of exercises you do, keeping your workout FUN.
To boost your brain power and energy level right this instant, try doing a set of this fun, yet effective PACE exercise.
squats
Hindu Squat. This total body exercise will tighten, tone, and boost your brain power. Here’s how to do it:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Extend your arms out in front of you, parallel to the ground with your hands open and palms facing down.
Inhale briskly and pull your hands straight back. As you pull back, turn the wrists up and make a fist.
At the end of the inhalation, your elbows should be behind you with both hands in a fist, palm side up.
From this position, exhale, bend your knees, and squat. Let your arms fall to your sides and touch ground with the tips of your fingers. Continue exhaling and let your arms swing up as you stand.
This brings you back to the starting position: standing straight up with your arms extended in front of you, hands open, and palms facing down.
For even more fun and free PACE workouts, check a PACE class online. You can find one here on my YouTube channel.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
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