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How Exercise Boosts Your Brain

singularityhub.com

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Re: How Exercise Boosts Your Brain

#11

Post by sailormoon »

DavidSJ wrote: post #8

So the next time you sit down to watch television, or, um, surf the internet, remember: your BMP count might be getting into dangerous territory. Try to imagine that same sentence with "to read a book" substituted for "to watch television, or, um, surf the internet". Hard, isn't it? This is anti-technology bigotry. Pretty surprising at singularityhub.com, huh? That's how pervasive it is.

This is anti-technology bigotry.

Where did you get that from? It's nothing to do with technology per se, it's about the sedentary position we adopt when making use of that technology. If anything it is decrying the insufficiently advanced technology we currently possess, which requires us to sit in from of a little screen in a certain position to use.

I don't know why you bring up reading books as if that somehow strengthens your claim. Reading books is wonderful for the brain but does little or nothing for the body. You need to exercise both.

Re: How Exercise Boosts Your Brain

#12

Post by orangecat »

tomjen3 wrote: post #10

I must have seen a million of these "benefits of exercise" posts by now - everybody seems to think that exercise is a good thing, but making another post isn't going to change anything, people are still not going to exercise; making a drug that simulates the effects of exercise would change everything. So why aren't people working on that?

So why aren't people working on that?

I would hope they are. Of course if something like that actually comes out there will be lots of pushback from those with overdeveloped Protestant work ethics. No pain no gain, it's "cheating" to just take a pill, etc.

Re: How Exercise Boosts Your Brain

#13

Post by theBobMcCormick »

DavidSJ wrote: post #8

So the next time you sit down to watch television, or, um, surf the internet, remember: your BMP count might be getting into dangerous territory. Try to imagine that same sentence with "to read a book" substituted for "to watch television, or, um, surf the internet". Hard, isn't it? This is anti-technology bigotry. Pretty surprising at singularityhub.com, huh? That's how pervasive it is.

I would assume they picked the examples because it's singularityhub. Most of their readers are likely to be technology/gadget centric and a message about more tech centric activities was probably expected to resonate better than a message about something as "old fashioned" as reading a book.

Beside, be honest. What percentage of the population do you think actually spends more time reading books than watching TV and surfing the internet?

BTW: According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, watching TV accounted for more than half the total leisure time for Americans 15 years and older. (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.nr0.htm)

Re: How Exercise Boosts Your Brain

#15

Post by pjscott »

moonhorse wrote: post #5

Another theory is that low calorie diet leads to longevity. Too many theories. :)

It's good that we have a lot of observed correlations between various activities (exercise, low-calorie diets, etc.) and longevity. That way we can figure out what's going on biologically, and try to find easier and more effective ways of living longer, healthier lives. Science!

Re: How Exercise Boosts Your Brain

#16

Post by mrj »

lukifer wrote: post #14

Heart health is brain health. Simple as that.

Well, as a brief mention said in the article, any exercise benefit to the brain used to be thought of mainly as an increased blood flow and oxygen uptake.

But more recent research is focused on the hippocampus and neurogenesis, actually growing new neurons by exercising. Unfortunately, there's no test that can actually prove the new cells are responsible for new learning.

This happens to be the focus of my current research paper. :-)

Re: How Exercise Boosts Your Brain

#17

Post by theBobMcCormick »

orangecat wrote: post #12
tomjen3 wrote: post #10

I must have seen a million of these "benefits of exercise" posts by now - everybody seems to think that exercise is a good thing, but making another post isn't going to change anything, people are still not going to exercise; making a drug that simulates the effects of exercise would change everything. So why aren't people working on that?

So why aren't people working on that? I would hope they are. Of course if something like that actually comes out there will be lots of pushback from those with overdeveloped Protestant work ethics. No pain no gain, it's "cheating" to just take a pill, etc.

At least hear in the US, I've never seen the public apposed to taking the easy way out. Witness the massive(no pun intended) diet and weightloss industry.

Re: How Exercise Boosts Your Brain

#18

Post by johngunderman »

theBobMcCormick wrote: post #13
DavidSJ wrote: post #8

So the next time you sit down to watch television, or, um, surf the internet, remember: your BMP count might be getting into dangerous territory. Try to imagine that same sentence with "to read a book" substituted for "to watch television, or, um, surf the internet". Hard, isn't it? This is anti-technology bigotry. Pretty surprising at singularityhub.com, huh? That's how pervasive it is.

I would assume they picked the examples because it's singularityhub. Most of their readers are likely to be technology/gadget centric and a message about more tech centric activities was probably expected to resonate better than a message about something as "old fashioned" as reading a book. Beside, be honest. What percentage of the population do you think actually spends more time reading books than watching TV and…

I used to. I don't watch TV, but I probably spend too much time on the computer. Just a few years ago I would read more than any other activity.

Re: How Exercise Boosts Your Brain

#19

Post by r7000 »

DavidSJ wrote: post #8

So the next time you sit down to watch television, or, um, surf the internet, remember: your BMP count might be getting into dangerous territory. Try to imagine that same sentence with "to read a book" substituted for "to watch television, or, um, surf the internet". Hard, isn't it? This is anti-technology bigotry. Pretty surprising at singularityhub.com, huh? That's how pervasive it is.

Maybe surfing the net is more addictive than reading a book.

Re: How Exercise Boosts Your Brain

#20

Post by eru »

tomjen3 wrote: post #10

I must have seen a million of these "benefits of exercise" posts by now - everybody seems to think that exercise is a good thing, but making another post isn't going to change anything, people are still not going to exercise; making a drug that simulates the effects of exercise would change everything. So why aren't people working on that?

How about using electricity to make your muscles move without effort on your part? (Of course this won't do anything for your central nervous system or coordination.)
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