We see the physical benefits of exercise touted all over social media in the form of beautiful, ripped bodies. What if an additional benefit of exercise is that it may increase your chances of becoming more successful?
Exercise has many direct and indirect effects on our brain. First and foremost, exercise reduces insulin resistance that in turn decreases inflammation in our cells including our brain cells. The indirect effect of exercise is that it improves our mood and sleep. Research has shown that we release endorphins when we exercise. These are our body’s happy hormones that give us a “high” every time we hit the gym and push ourselves hard. Endorphins are thought to alleviate symptoms of depression and make you focus better, giving you more productivity.
Lack of sleep is one of the primary reasons for unproductivity and exercise promotes deep, restorative sleep allowing you to be more focused and creative. Research has shown that exercise promotes new neural connections between brain cells known as brain plasticity which is responsible for memory and learning. Studies also show that regular aerobic exercise may increase the size of the hippocampus, the area involved with verbal memory and learning. So yes, exercise makes you smarter.
How could that make you more successful you ask? According to an article in Forbes, the single common thing that most successful people have is an uncompromising attitude towards exercise. They believe that fitness gives them more energy to push through the day.
Exercise also stimulates mental acuity with the capacity for increased focus & productivity. Working out regularly helps cultivate the discipline needed in life to strive for something that may be difficult and out of reach. In a nutshell, exercise can definitely be the stepping-stone to success in your life.
Author: Urvi Devani
