Discover the Mind-Blowing Connection Between Exercise and the Brain

Urgent Care Blog

You know that exercise is great for your body, but did you know that it’s also good for your brain? Studies have found that exercise can vastly improve brain function, with moderate-intensity exercise boosting brainpower and memory in only six months. At MD Now Urgent Care, we believe that preventing medical problems is just as important as treating them. And this begins with a healthy lifestyle that includes daily exercise. And now that research has found this direct link between exercise and the brain, we strongly recommend adding exercise into your daily routine to power up your brainpower.

Think Over the Facts

According to research over the past few years, exercise can benefit your body in the following ways:

  • Increase muscle mass
  • Boost muscle strength
  • Keep your heart healthy
  • Preserve bone health
  • Maintain a healthy weight
  • Help prevent many chronic diseases, such as diabetes 

Now add to that list how exercise can improve brain function. Researchers have found that exercise strengthens your memory and thinking skills both directly and indirectly. 

The Direct Link Between Exercise and the Brain

Exercise acts directly on your body by stimulating a number of important physiological changes, such as the reduction of inflammation and insulin resistance. Exercise also encourages the body to produce growth factors that affect the creation of new blood vessels in the brain and the survival of new brain cells.

In addition, regular exercisers have a larger volume of brain mass that controls thought process and memory. Research shows that people who have a regular routine of moderate-intensity exercise over six months or a year possess a greater volume of specific brain regions.

How Exercise Can Indirectly Improve Brain Function

Aside from the direct physiological and physical effects, exercise also indirectly affects the brain. Exercise can increase thinking and memory by improving sleep, enhancing mood, and reducing stress and anxiety.

6 Ways to Work In a Workout

Beginning an exercise routine is similar to starting any habit. And since research shows it takes around six months to start experiencing the major cognitive benefits of an exercise routine, it’s important to develop a personalized program that you’re able to follow for the long term. At MD Now, we believe these six simple tips can help ease you into an exercise routine:

  1. Think of daily exercise as a prescription you take every day.
  2. Be patient and realize it takes time to earn results.
  3. Work your way up to exercising at a moderate-intensity level.
  4. Begin by exercising for a few minutes a day.
  5. Increase your workout time by five or ten minutes each week.
  6. Aim to exercise for up to 150 minutes each week to experience the greatest brain benefits.

MD Now is Your Source for the Highest-Quality Care

Discover the caring, convenient, and cost-efficient treatment that can always be found at MD Now. All of our locations operate on a walk-in, no-appointment basis with hours to conveniently suit your schedule. With 26 locations throughout Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties, quality care is always within your reach. For the Florida locations nearest you, visit https://www.mymdnow.com/locations.

To learn more about our urgent care centers, visit www.MDNow.com.

MD Now® Urgent Care Walk-In Medical Centers is the leading provider of fast and affordable urgent care to adults and children in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties. Our state-of-the-art, walk-in medical centers are open seven days a week to deliver an affordable and convenient alternative to long emergency room wait times and the limited hours of family physicians. No appointment is necessary and major insurance plans are accepted. In addition to providing a comprehensive range of urgent care services to treat a variety of illnesses and injuries, our multiple locations offer digital x-rays, EKG, lab testing, physicals, immunizations, vaccines, occupational medicine, travel medicine and selected primary care services. Find the medical care you need with the convenience you want at MD Now. Online: www.MDNow.com.

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