In the past, a regular routine of aerobics has led to productive results for memory enhancement over time. However, the most recent findings related to memory improvement is research demonstrating that strenuous exercise instantly following a learning activity boosts your chances of retaining the information you just learned. In other words, working out after a studying session can improve your memory.
This year, a study conducted by the Georgia Institute of Technology has revealed that a 20-minute intense workout can improve your memory periodically as well as long-term, enabling you to remember earlier events at least 10-percent better. This is true for healthy and young adults. According to Lisa Weinberg, project leader and Georgia Tech graduate, the study indicates you don’t have to spend a lot of time to improve your brain performance. The study has opened new dimensions of research to investigate the outcomes of exercise in improving memory.
The experiment required participants to look at a series of photos without making any effort to remember them. Then half of the participants were subjected to a resistance exercise, and a control group remained seated. While the entire team of participants recalled the positive and negative images better than neutral ones, the memory comparison showed enhanced memory performance in the exercise participants in particular. The research team had anticipated these outcomes. Previous and existing findings on memory suggest that people are more prone to retain emotional sentiments mentally, especially if they occur after acute (short-term) stress like exercise.
The researchers tested physiological indicators of the exercise group, including stress markers in their saliva as well as their blood and heart rates. Fascinatingly, participants who were the most stressed during the short episode of exercise seemed to remember and recall the original images far better than the other participants did. This finding alone has helped the researchers gain a far better understanding of the process that triggers and causes memories to be locked in for a longer period of time.
Experts who were involved in conducting the study believe that, even without performing costly MRI scans, these results provide them the basic idea of which areas of the brain are responsible for supporting these exercise-induced memory benefits. The outcomes of this research are highly dynamic, as they go hand-in-hand with rodent literature that identifies the precise regions of the brain involved in stress-induced memory benefits triggered by exercise. The team is currently working on how exercise can be of assistance to elderly people, especially those who are suffering from memory disorders.
So, if you want to improve your memory, it is about time you start lifting weights.