Benefits of Fitness and Exercise for the Brain

In addition to aiding weight loss and toning your muscles, exercise can aid proper functioning of your brain too. Whether you work out on your own or work out under the supervision of a personal trainer gym, you will enjoy the great benefits that exercise offers to your entire body, and specifically your brain.

Your brain releases the chemicals known as neurotransmitters, as well as dopamine when you exercise. This in return promotes clear thinking and better concentration. For people with ADHD, dopamine is usually less than required in the brain.

Often, stimulant medicines are used in treating individuals with ADHD to boost the amount of dopamine in their brain. Therefore, it is only logical that a fitness exercise can offer tons of similar effects as the stimulant medicines.

Consequently, fitness has the ability to produce the following benefits for the brain, particularly for adults with ADHD:

  • Minimize compulsive behavior and enhance impulse control
  • Relieve stress and anxiety
  • Improve working memory
  • Boost brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels. Neurotrophic factor refers to the protein responsible for memory and learning. Individuals with ADHD usually have this protein in minimal levels.
  • Enhance the set of skills that help in organizing, planning and detailing. In essence, exercise helps to enhance executive functions.

So, How Often Should You Exercise?

According to health experts, you should get not less than two and half hours (150 minutes) of moderate intensity exercise on a weekly basis. This amounts to approximately 30 minutes of fitness workout daily, five days in a week.

And remember, exercise delivers higher value when combined with healthy meal prep recipes. These days, lots of fitness enthusiasts opt for Metuchen Meal Prep delivery, NJ, to promote healthy diet.

Additional Reasons to Exercise

Besides delivering benefits to the brain, especially for ADHD patients, exercise offers other enriching benefits such as;

  • Helping you maintain a healthy weight. This is very important since studies show that ADHD patients are increasingly likely to become overweight.
  • Cutting back the risk of debilitating ailments such as diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer.
  • Providing strength to your bones
  • Keeping your cholesterol levels and blood pressure in a healthy range
  • Improving your self-esteem and mood.

What Type of Exercise Should You Do?

Health experts said, “It doesn’t matter the type of exercise you choose – biking, running, weight training, or aerobic workouts. Go for any kind of exercise that spells fun to you.”