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Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

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Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#31

Post by mikestew »

hi41 wrote: post #26
Swizec wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Running and walking seems to be particularly good for thinking. Could be a link to our evolution, or the fact that it’s a simple exercise you don’t have to focus on and are free to think. Sports are great for getting in the zone but usually too mentally taxing for background thinking. Boxing, for example, is amazing relaxation but you really can’t think about anything else during a round. Sometimes high intensity sto…

Someone said that doing highly repetitive exercises like running can cause increase in the stress hormone cortisol and hence we must do that in limit. Is that true?

No offense, but we're supposed to counter argue against an anonymous "someone" for which you don't even provide a source? Post a link, we can go from there.

That said, I've been a competitive distance runner for over 40 years. What adverse effects should I be seeing? 'cuz I can't think of any.

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#32

Post by conistonwater »

mips_avatar wrote: post #28
conistonwater wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

HIIT means all-out sprints with short rests in between, but that's (unfortunately) not how it's presented in social media sometimes. No matter your shape, running all-out sprints in that particular way will get you to the max heart rate. It's just there are too many people misusing the word now.

You won't get to max HR from a 40 meter dash.

No, of course not, but that's not the correct protocol for HIIT. The first few intervals definitely don't get you to max heart rate, that's why the rest periods are kept short.

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#33

Post by hluska »

Swizec wrote: post #8
vsareto wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Sometimes high intensity stop all other thoughts is exactly what the brain needs. HIIT has been great for the rest of the day as long as I don't overdo it, but yeah, completely focused on the workout during that.

I find HIIT doesn’t do it for me. Can’t push myself hard enough in such short bursts because I have ridiculous cardio conditioning* from running. Boxing is great because it’s hiit but with technique and tactics and strategy. * ridiculous conditioning in that I can keep average heart rate at 155bpm for 2 hours no problem. Most hiit isn’t long enough to get me above 110

Have you ever tried taking off your shoes at the end of a run, doing some 100m gliders and then hard 40m sprints?? I ran barefoot all last outdoor season so your mileage may vary but I can always get into high intensity zones when I do that.

Or, if that doesn’t do the trick for you, mixing burpees and light jogging is a lot of fun.

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#34

Post by dang »

Discussed at the time:

Which Type of Exercise Is Best for the Brain? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11117929 - Feb 2016 (118 comments)

Past large related threads — quality not guaranteed:

Dance is superior to repetitive physical exercise for brain plasticity (2018) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23946732 - July 2020 (214 comments)

Evolutionary history and why physical activity is important for brain health - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21865579 - Dec 2019 (123 comments)

Ultra-Time-Efficient Exercise Lowers Blood Pressure, Boosts Brain Function - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19626995 - April 2019 (43 comments)

This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19474967 - March 2019 (38 comments)

How Exercise Might “Clean” the Alzheimer's Brain - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18228627 - Oct 2018 (209 comments)

Exercise Increases Brain Size - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15691885 - Nov 2017 (11 comments)

Training exercise boosts brain power, Johns Hopkins researchers say - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15508714 - Oct 2017 (138 comments)

Exercise as a Preventive or Disease-Modifying Treatment for Dementia Brain Aging - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14717547 - July 2017 (72 comments)

Exercise Releases Brain-Healthy Protein - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11995637 - June 2016 (180 comments)

Which Type of Exercise Is Best for the Brain? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11117929 - Feb 2016 (118 comments)

Exercise during pregnancy gives newborn brain development a head start - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7653274 - April 2014 (17 comments)

How exercise boosts brain health - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6548908 - Oct 2013 (42 comments)

What happens to our brains when we exercise and how it makes us happier - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4580977 - Sept 2012 (80 comments)

How exercise could lead to a better brain - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3881206 - April 2012 (27 comments)

How Exercise Fuels the Brain - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3620529 - Feb 2012 (18 comments)

Forced Exercise's Effects on the Brain - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3106799 - Oct 2011 (57 comments)

How Exercise Can Strengthen the Brain - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3047554 - Sept 2011 (60 comments)

Brain shifts from glucose to lactate fuel source during exercise. - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=320714 - Oct 2008 (8 comments)

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#35

Post by nend »

rootusrootus wrote: post #24
llarsson wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, whether results for rodents on a seven week exercise program actually transfer to humans remains to be seen. But I would like to point out that besides subjective preference and enjoyment, it is quite clear to me that humans are pretty crap compared to everything physical, except for long-distance running. We are not the fastest. Not the strongest. Not the best swimmers or climbers. But as an animal, and on a po…

We know that fundamentally it's our endurance that gives us a physical edge, but I am curious... > We are not the fastest. Not the strongest. Not the best swimmers or climbers. Are humans the best in aggregate at all of these? Sure, there is always going to be an animal that is faster in one aspect, but are there other animals that are better than humans at all of them?

I mean if the criteria is just those four: strength, top speed, climbing ability, swimming ability - there's probably a lot of animals that are subjectively better than us.

It would depend on how you measure/aggregate it but off the top of my head you could make an argument for: most large cats, chimpanzee, orangutan, bears, some pigs, etc.

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#36

Post by throwaway1777 »

hi41 wrote: post #26
Swizec wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Running and walking seems to be particularly good for thinking. Could be a link to our evolution, or the fact that it’s a simple exercise you don’t have to focus on and are free to think. Sports are great for getting in the zone but usually too mentally taxing for background thinking. Boxing, for example, is amazing relaxation but you really can’t think about anything else during a round. Sometimes high intensity sto…

Someone said that doing highly repetitive exercises like running can cause increase in the stress hormone cortisol and hence we must do that in limit. Is that true?

It’s not true. Also cortisol is not actually bad for you in the context of exercise.

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#37

Post by PragmaticPulp »

hi41 wrote: post #26
Swizec wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Running and walking seems to be particularly good for thinking. Could be a link to our evolution, or the fact that it’s a simple exercise you don’t have to focus on and are free to think. Sports are great for getting in the zone but usually too mentally taxing for background thinking. Boxing, for example, is amazing relaxation but you really can’t think about anything else during a round. Sometimes high intensity sto…

Someone said that doing highly repetitive exercises like running can cause increase in the stress hormone cortisol and hence we must do that in limit. Is that true?

Basically, ignore any subject matter that tries to reduce cortisol to being "bad".

Cortisol isn't inherently good or bad. It's context-specific. It's not something you want to universally lower. In fact, if you take supplements or medicine that significantly lowers cortisol (e.g. by inhibiting cortisol synthesis) you'll find that you don't feel very good at all. You need an appropriate amount of cortisol to respond to activities.

Running extreme amounts (100s of miles per week over and over again) should be approached with additional education and appropriate attention to one's health, but generally speaking someone running for fun and paying attention to their body (e.g. don't force yourself to run if your body is telling you to take a break) doesn't need to worry about anything.

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#38

Post by mym1990 »

rootusrootus wrote: post #24
llarsson wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, whether results for rodents on a seven week exercise program actually transfer to humans remains to be seen. But I would like to point out that besides subjective preference and enjoyment, it is quite clear to me that humans are pretty crap compared to everything physical, except for long-distance running. We are not the fastest. Not the strongest. Not the best swimmers or climbers. But as an animal, and on a po…

We know that fundamentally it's our endurance that gives us a physical edge, but I am curious... > We are not the fastest. Not the strongest. Not the best swimmers or climbers. Are humans the best in aggregate at all of these? Sure, there is always going to be an animal that is faster in one aspect, but are there other animals that are better than humans at all of them?

A physically peak and coordinated human possibly, but it probably comes down to what traits you're actually comparing. Man's advantage is our ability to make tools and be creative. Without proper training and mental prep the average human isn't that fast, can't climb well, won't swim more than 500 feet. If you put the average human today in the middle of the Amazon with nothing, I don't really know if that works out great for most people.

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#39

Post by hluska »

johnohara wrote: post #25
tomjakubowski wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you normally do to get to a 155 bpm heart rate? Not an expert but when I've done HIIT workouts, they've always started with a mild warm up to elevate the heart rate. Maybe you'd benefit from something more strenuous to start.

Continuous fartlek style running will get you to 155+ bpm. Back off the pace to actively recover to 120 bpm, then go after it again. Problem is, you need to be fit to do this right, reducing the risk of injury. Always preferred fartlek to repeat intervals on the track. Both have their place however.

If anyone is new to fartleks, it’s a Swedish word that means ‘speed play’. They’re an excellent tool for training.

Maybe be careful the first few times you type that on a phone - my poor running coach got a lot of text messages about ‘fart leaks’ when I was trying to report on my training. They are not the same.

Edit - If you’d like to try one, Mona fartleks are pretty well known.

https://www.runnerstribe.com/features/the-mona-fartlek-a-cla...

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#40

Post by rootusrootus »

nend wrote: post #35
rootusrootus wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We know that fundamentally it's our endurance that gives us a physical edge, but I am curious... > We are not the fastest. Not the strongest. Not the best swimmers or climbers. Are humans the best in aggregate at all of these? Sure, there is always going to be an animal that is faster in one aspect, but are there other animals that are better than humans at all of them?

I mean if the criteria is just those four: strength, top speed, climbing ability, swimming ability - there's probably a lot of animals that are subjectively better than us. It would depend on how you measure/aggregate it but off the top of my head you could make an argument for: most large cats, chimpanzee, orangutan, bears, some pigs, etc.

It may be that endurance is all we got. But I was thinking that a chimp is very strong and can climb, but is he any good at running and swimming? A cat is a heck of a runner, but isn't really a great climber aside from specific situations. Humans are fairly adaptable.

But probably it just comes down to our endurance/ability to control body temperature, and big brains to devise creative ways of defeating other animals.

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