Get moving to get smarter

Your brain is more powerful, more complex and more mind-bogglingly amazing than any computer ever built (Even the ones named after a fruit).

That wrinkly mass of grey matter enclosed in its bony home is receiving and processing millions of messages from your body and also from the great big world around you. All of the information is sorted and your very own built-in supercomputer (without needing access to WiFi or 4G) tells your body how to respond and what to do.

Super bossy in a very good way!

As amazing as your brain is it needs the rest of you to keep it healthy and make it even smarter. That is where exercise and a healthy diet comes in.

Did you know that when you exercise your heart beats faster…! OK. I am just making sure you are awake and that brain of yours is switched on!  

Activities like running or playing a sport is great for your heart, and if is great for your heart, it is great for your brain.

From a “feeling great” perspective: that happiness (A.K.A. “Runner’s High”) you feel when you are active is the result of a drop in stress hormones, which is also associated with more cell growth in the hippocampus.

Hippo-what?? I hear you say. It is an area of your brain that helps you learn and remember things.

That brings us nicely to the really good bit: scientists have recently learned that for a period of time after you’ve exercised, your body produces a chemical that makes your brain more willing to learn. So the next time you are struggling with homework go out and bounce a ball or run around for a while, then tackle that homework again with a smile on your face. You might just find that you have been re-booted with super charged sporty brain power.

The moral of this tale = Get moving to get smarter.

Hungry for more information?

http://www.kizoomlabs.com/

http://www.parentingscience.com/exercise-for-children.html

http://brainworldmagazine.com/neuroplasticity/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/brainsmart/brain/