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This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

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Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#21

Post by [deleted] »

Tenoke wrote: post #12
wjnc wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My reading is the following. Say my IQ is pretty constant. As any father can attest to, there are a lot of factors influencing whether I'm on top of my game. A few rough nights and I'm in a worse state for days. Let's say exercise usually is correlated with better sleep, better cardiovascular operation etc. and also the other way around (I train less when tired). Then I can easily follow better performance after trai…

>As any father can attest to, there are a lot of factors influencing whether I'm on top of my game. Off-topic but I really don't understand why so many parents like to imply that only/mainly they know/experience things that are common to everyone.

[deleted]

Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#22

Post by coldtea »

reacharavindh wrote: post #7

I havent read the papers quoted in the article. But, I'm a little puzzled reading this.. It sounds more like interpreting what they want to see or think is happening. > Aerobic exercise appears to lead to changes in both the structure of the brain and the way it operates, which together bolster learning in kids, give adults an edge on cognitive tasks, and protect against the cognitive declines that often come with ag…

>Given the penultimate paragraph where they say - “You shouldn’t expect to increase your IQ or anything of that nature,” How could the above statement be true? What measure is there to say "this behavior we are seeing is increasing learning ability of the brain while not increasing the IQ"?

Here are some examples:

3 days without sleep will give you IQ performance 20 points less than your previously measured brain IQ. That doesn't mean you permanently got dumber. Similarly, exercise can make you perform better at cognitive tasks, while still retaining the same IQ.

Reduced blood flow to the brain (e.g. due to apnea/obesity) can make you actually lose tons of IQ points (sometimes even permanently). Exercise prevents those things.

Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#23

Post by knicholes »

Tenoke wrote: post #12
wjnc wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My reading is the following. Say my IQ is pretty constant. As any father can attest to, there are a lot of factors influencing whether I'm on top of my game. A few rough nights and I'm in a worse state for days. Let's say exercise usually is correlated with better sleep, better cardiovascular operation etc. and also the other way around (I train less when tired). Then I can easily follow better performance after trai…

>As any father can attest to, there are a lot of factors influencing whether I'm on top of my game. Off-topic but I really don't understand why so many parents like to imply that only/mainly they know/experience things that are common to everyone.

Being awakened every night, sometimes multiple times a night, for years is common to everyone?

Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#24

Post by tom_ »

Tenoke wrote: post #12
wjnc wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My reading is the following. Say my IQ is pretty constant. As any father can attest to, there are a lot of factors influencing whether I'm on top of my game. A few rough nights and I'm in a worse state for days. Let's say exercise usually is correlated with better sleep, better cardiovascular operation etc. and also the other way around (I train less when tired). Then I can easily follow better performance after trai…

>As any father can attest to, there are a lot of factors influencing whether I'm on top of my game. Off-topic but I really don't understand why so many parents like to imply that only/mainly they know/experience things that are common to everyone.

Any excuse to talk about it will do, because people's children are important to them. Also doesn't hurt to let other people know they are a member of this club, as there are social benefits.

Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#25

Post by Tenoke »

knicholes wrote: post #23
Tenoke wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>As any father can attest to, there are a lot of factors influencing whether I'm on top of my game. Off-topic but I really don't understand why so many parents like to imply that only/mainly they know/experience things that are common to everyone.

Being awakened every night, sometimes multiple times a night, for years is common to everyone?

Not being at the top of your game because you are tired (which is what the point was) is.. If one only has that experience after they become a parent - I can only envy them.

Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#26

Post by froh »

jimmy1 wrote: post #19
lgvln wrote: post #9

My takeaway from the article and from other studies is that exercise improves the condition of your brain, allowing one to be more efficient at what they are doing. Something that the article didn't state is that exercise has a positive impact on the creation of new neurons on the brain. The idea that we're born with a limited number of brain cells has been debunked. An analogy would be going to the gym might not mak…

> exercise has a positive impact on the creation of new neurons on the brain. The idea that we're born with a limited number of brain cells has been debunked. I'm not being a typical HN'er, I am legitimately curious, do you have some good sources that describe this? My current understanding is that new neurons aren't so easily formed because your brain is actually so efficient, it will simply form new pathways betwee…

> My current understanding is that new neurons aren't so easily formed because your brain is actually so efficient, it will simply form new pathways between existing neurons to do the same thing it once did with lost or damaged neurons.

That's what we have been taught at school.

Meanwhile we better understand neurogenesis, creation of nerves, and neuroplasticity, rewiring of nerves:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201...

In a nutshell, the brain continues to grow new nerves and new connections throughout our whole lives.

Hth?

Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#28

Post by jdavis703 »

For the past 3 weeks I’ve been using the Pomodoro Method at work. For those who don’t know, it’s 25 minutes of deeply focused work, followed by a 5 minute break.

In my break I’ve been excercising: running up stairs, doing push ups, wall sits, etc. I’ve always had trouble focusing in open offices, but now I can focus without even needing headphones! And to top that off we use story point estimates, and I started flying through those estimates.

Obviously I’m just one story where the sample size is n=1. But after reading this article I think pairing Pomodoro with some light exercise has some unseen positive feedback.

Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#29

Post by jdavis703 »

knicholes wrote: post #23
Tenoke wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>As any father can attest to, there are a lot of factors influencing whether I'm on top of my game. Off-topic but I really don't understand why so many parents like to imply that only/mainly they know/experience things that are common to everyone.

Being awakened every night, sometimes multiple times a night, for years is common to everyone?

Yes, having had roommates I can attest to this. I’m also a light sleeper so it’s pretty common that say the neighbors have a fight, it wakes me up, and then a few hours later a thunderstorm comes through it wakes me up, and then a few hours later some maniac starts laying on their horn because the person they’re giving a ride to is late again.

Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#30

Post by tzs »

jdavis703 wrote: post #28

For the past 3 weeks I’ve been using the Pomodoro Method at work. For those who don’t know, it’s 25 minutes of deeply focused work, followed by a 5 minute break. In my break I’ve been excercising: running up stairs, doing push ups, wall sits, etc. I’ve always had trouble focusing in open offices, but now I can focus without even needing headphones! And to top that off we use story point estimates, and I started flyin…

Pomodoro fits in reasonably well with good ergonomics practices. From the Cornell University Ergonomics group's page on sitting and standing at work:

> Sit to do computer work. Sit using a height-adjustable, downward titling keyboard tray for the best work posture, then every 20 minutes stand for 8 minutes AND MOVE for 2 minutes. The absolute time isn’t critical but about every 20-30 minutes take a posture break and stand and move for a couple of minutes. Simply standing is insufficient. Movement is important to get blood circulation through the muscles. And movement is FREE! Research shows that you don’t need to do vigorous exercise (e.g. jumping jacks) to get the benefits, just walking around is sufficient. So build in a pattern of creating greater movement variety in the workplace (e.g. walk to a printer, water fountain, stand for a meeting, take the stairs, walk around the floor, park a bit further away from the building each day).

Link: http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/cuesitstand.html

Archive link: https://web.archive.org/web/20181231082003/http://ergo.human...

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