Here's how you can recharge your brain at work
| Sep 17, 2018, 16:43 IST
A new study has found that a good way to recharge your brain at work might be to administer it to a short bout of exercise that doesn’t require much concentration as opposed to proper exercise. “The present study suggests that simple exercise is better than cognitively demanding exercise during working hours,” lead author Keita Kamijo said. Kamijo enrolled 28 men for a challenge called the Working Memory.
The men were asked to do three things on three different days. On one day they had to exercise on a stationary bike. On the second day, they had to complete a work task while sitting on the bike without working out on it. And on the third day they were asked to do both, that is work on a task as well as exercise on the bike. The results found that men who did both the tasks were better able to function and remember tasks.
However, this exercise also led to “cognitive fatigue,” which means that although exercise is good, it needs to be done in a limited time period and with limited workout. Dr. John Ratey, said, “We’ve known for some time that exercise improves working memory...The big take away here is that too much exercise may exhaust your brain for the next little while.”
“It is possible that a greater amount of load on the brain is required for chronic improvements in cognitive function, as with the overload principle of strength training,” Kamijo said.
Ratey said, “A good 80 to 90 percent of people will get more aroused, less tired, have more energy and be more motivated if they make a habit of exercise. The more involved with others and challenges they bring to themselves, the better they’ll build the brain up over time and improve their memory, attention span and their ability to deal with stress.” Stay tuned for more updates.
The men were asked to do three things on three different days. On one day they had to exercise on a stationary bike. On the second day, they had to complete a work task while sitting on the bike without working out on it. And on the third day they were asked to do both, that is work on a task as well as exercise on the bike. The results found that men who did both the tasks were better able to function and remember tasks.
However, this exercise also led to “cognitive fatigue,” which means that although exercise is good, it needs to be done in a limited time period and with limited workout. Dr. John Ratey, said, “We’ve known for some time that exercise improves working memory...The big take away here is that too much exercise may exhaust your brain for the next little while.”
“It is possible that a greater amount of load on the brain is required for chronic improvements in cognitive function, as with the overload principle of strength training,” Kamijo said.
Ratey said, “A good 80 to 90 percent of people will get more aroused, less tired, have more energy and be more motivated if they make a habit of exercise. The more involved with others and challenges they bring to themselves, the better they’ll build the brain up over time and improve their memory, attention span and their ability to deal with stress.” Stay tuned for more updates.