Everyone is aware of the physical aspects of
working out. Exercise creates
endorphins, which then makes people happy, and in the words of Elle Woods, “happy
people just don’t kill their husbands” which is always a bonus. In addition,
exercising also helps people stay physically fit.
Not many people, however, focus on the psychological aspect to working
out. In addition to working out the
muscles covering the body, exercising also improves the most important part of
the body- the brain.
The
APA (American Psychological Association) discussed a study supporting the idea
that working out is beneficial to the brain.
In this study, the scientists compared rats that worked out versus those
that did not. The results of this
experiment showed that the rats that worked out for at least an hour a day proved
to have a larger flow of blood supply to their brains compared to the control
group which showed no increase. “An
increased blood supply means increased oxygen and energy supply, and that
equals better performance” (APA). The article
continues by telling how the rats had to run through an obstacle course. The results of this part of the study, again, showed that the rats who exercised had a better outcome than the ones who did not. “Because that was more a learning task than a
physical task, these rats developed more connections between the neurons in
their brains” (APA).
“Some
evidence in humans suggests that being physically fit helps people maintain
their cognitive abilities as they age. Many studies have found that physically
active elderly people perform better than sedentary elderly people on cognitive
tasks such as reasoning, vocabulary, memory, and reaction time” (APA). Knowing all of this only makes it that much
more important to better the gym access on north campus at the University. Exercising is not only beneficial for the
body, but also the mind.
"Working Out Builds the Mind's
Muscles." Http://www.apa.org. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
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