Get Smart: Increasing your brain power without opening a book

As we age we sometimes have more difficulty processing information and comprehending things we used to quickly understand. The aging process takes a toll on the entire body, to include our brain. In law enforcement it’s imperative that we are able to immediately assess a situation and make a decision on a course of action. If we lose that ability, or it becomes somewhat diminished, we put ourselves and our partners in jeopardy.

One way to ameliorate the aging process is through exercise. In addition to keeping our bodies strong and healthy, there’s an added advantage: exercise has been proven to enhance memory and cognition at any age. That’s right, according to a recent study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers found that student athletes were quicker thinkers than their non-athlete fellow students. In our business, that ability to think quickly could mean the difference between life and death.

Many of us exercise regularly, knowing that it’s part of the job. We aren’t desk jockeys, we’re on the street every day and are often called upon to do battle with thugs who have no problem injuring or killing us. I know many of our colleagues, myself included, who have survived traumatic injuries because they kept themselves physically fit. Regular exercise affords many benefits beyond keeping one in shape. Exercise is a proven stress reliever, helps reduce depression, allows us to get a better night’s sleep and makes us better lovers.

Now, exercise has been proven to boost our brain power, too. I’ve often thought this was true before I ever knew about research in the field. I recognized that people who included exercise in test preparation, allowing them to relieve stress, often scored higher than those who burned the midnight oil cramming for exams.

It occurred to me that if people who exercised created large muscles, might it be possible for our brains to grow as well if we worked them out? A recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine indicates that just might be the case. The study focused on a group of 74-year-olds, breaking them down into two groups—those who had high levels of exercise and those who exercised very little. The study found that the group that exercised vigorously had the lowest percentage of developing any cognitive impairment compared with the group who had limited exercise. If you have aging parents or grandparents who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, you know how devastating it can be when a person has a diminished ability to think and remember things.

But exercise doesn’t just help older folks, young people benefit from regular exercise as well. At the 2011 Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, a study was presented which involved grade school children. A group of kids who exercised while studying geography lessons had increased state test scores from 55% to 68.5%. The takeaway: exercising while learning equals better test scores. Next time you see someone on the stepper or treadmill studying a text book you’ll understand the method to their madness.

It may be a result of the baby boomer generation creating a large senior segment of our population, but regardless of the reason there are a multitude of studies being conducted on aging and how it affects the brain. One such study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates exercise increases brain size. The study involved adults ages 55 thru 80 who regularly included aerobic exercise in their lifestyle for a period of one year. The researchers concluded that the study group increased the size of their brains in the area of the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and spatial navigation.

Recently, an article in the Chicago Tribune by Ellen Warren reinforced what the above studies concluded. In the article, a Harvard psychiatrist, Dr. John Ratey, said: “Exercise keeps your brain from eroding. Exercise is the one thing we’ve proven again and again that prevents the ravaging of aging on our brain.” Ratey went on to explain that the Mayo Clinic’s recent review of more than 2,000 scientific papers concluded that exercise is the one thing you can do to prevent the onset of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.

If you are one who exercises, by all means keep doing it. But what about those who don’t exercise, is there any hope for them to boost their brain power and stave off diminished mental capacity? According to Dr. Ratey, yes. In fact, the doctor advises people who are not presently exercising to begin doing so immediately. Ratey said, “You get the most bang for your buck if you haven’t been exercising. The biggest changes are seen there.”

The results from exercise aren’t limited to improved intellectual capacity. Ratey advises that our emotional regulation improves as well—we become happier, less anxious and stressed. And, these improvements can be found in both adults and children. The more intense and the more time spent exercising results in an even bigger payoff. Got kids who are not exercising and getting average grades in school? Start them on an exercise program—today. Are you in a rut, depressed, fed up with your boss?—start exercising.

What better resolution can there possibly be than to improve your life by beginning something as simple and inexpensive as regular exercise? When you consider all the benefits from an activity that young and old people alike can partake in, why wait one day longer? Get on it, Brothers and Sisters. Stay Safe!

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About The Author:

John M. Wills spent 33 years in law enforcement as a Chicago Police Officer and FBI Special Agent (Ret). He is a Freelance Writer and Speaker whose third book, TARGETED, is now available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Contact John through his website: www.johnmwills.com.