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 By: David Robson Brain-power is vitally important. After all, our brain dictates how we feel and consequently it has an impact on our motivational state and subsequent training intensity levels. Weight, and aerobic, training, hold significant benefits in terms of mental well-being and intellectual acuity. The brain is responsible for the processes underpinning many of our day to day actions, from completing a set bench presses to planning ones training program. It is important, therefore, to keep our brain in great shape to get the most out of our training. Furthermore, brain health and training seem to be symbiotically related, in that daily exercise appears to be one of the best methods of enhancing brain health and adequate brain health ensures that we are better able to train. Indeed, exercise has been shown to improve psychological well-being, memory and learning through many different processes. These processes and the benefits of exercise, in terms of brain-health, will be explained in this article. From a bodybuilding perspective, improvements in brain health can enhance concentration, motivation, memory, emotions and reflexes - all essential for an optimal training experience, and greater quality of life overall. Lets take a detailed look at how exercise can enhance brain-power.
Psychological Well-Being
Brain concentrations of norepinephrine, in brain regions involved in the body?s stress response, have been shown to increase in response to physical activity. In fact, 50 percent of the brains supply of norepinephrine is produced in a region of the brain called the locus coeruleus, which interconnects most of the brain regions involved in emotions and stress responses. Some anti-depressant medication increases concentrations of norepinephrine in the brain and researchers have suggested it may have a similar effect to exercise. Exercise induces the body's physiological systems to work closely, which ultimately positively affects the central and sympathetic nervous systems which control all of our bodily processes. "As one becomes de-conditioned, either through sedentary living or forced bed rest due to illness or injury, the physiological stress system becomes less efficient in its ability to respond to a variety of stressors, "Mark Sothmann of Indiana University School of Medicine says. "No other type of clinical intervention [for disorders like depression] forces such dynamic communication as exercise,? he says. A further study lending support to the positive effect exercise has on brain health was conducted by Carl Cotman and colleges at UCI. A protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), concentrated in the hippocampal (learning and memory) area of the brain, was induced through exercise these researchers found. BDNF is know to have antidepressant like properties, and has been found in lower levels in the blood of people with major depression the researchers said. The induction of BDNF in the brains of 2, 15 and 24 month-old rats was measured before and after various periods of exercise. Following exercise, levels of BDNF were found to be ?significantly? higher. ?Translated into human terms this means that individuals who are appropriately physically active may be able to protect themselves from depression,? says Cotman. The hippocampus, the area shown in Cotmans study to contain BDNF, plays a central role in many memory formation processes, including spatial learning?locating objects in the environment?and consciously recalling facts, episodes, and unique events. An optimally functioning hippocampal region may help us to navigate our way through the bumpy road of life more efficiently. The biological consequences of living under the seemingly constant pressure of the modern world take a tremendous toll on our mental well-being. It could be argued that breaking the pressure through training is an excellent course of action to safeguard ones sanity. Training is, by and large, a restorative process which puts a persons life in perspective and helps them to deal with stress. People who exercise regularly are typically more relaxed and confident, more productive, less easily fatigued and more disciplined. So taking time out to train is an excellent psychological strategy in terms of stress management. The stresses of life have considerably less of a negative impact on one who is physically active. Another way exercise has been shown to enhance psychological well-being is through the release of endorphins, a class of chemicals present in the brain. Endorphins are naturally manufactured in the brain under conditions of stress or pain (the type of pain associated with high intensity weight-training or running, for example). They are often referred to as ?feel-good? chemicals and are likened to a natural opiate supply in our bodies. The analgesic effect of endorphins occurs when they flood between nerve cells following high intensity training, and prevent neurons from firing. Endorphin release further contributes to the stress inhibiting effects of exercise, and the psychological well-being that often ensues.
What Is Memory?
Through repetition, focused-attention, and associated ideas, short-term memory can become long-term memory. We Also Have Two Categories Of Memory:
When we remember facts such as a phone number or address we use declarative memory. Procedural memory is used for procedures and abilities such as driving a car or riding a bike. Memory development is clearly very important for any athlete as, in essence, procedural memory is needed to master a particular sporting skill or develop athletic ability and declarative memory is needed to help remember goals, training methods and other facts associated with ones training program. Training, both aerobic and anaerobic, are particularly important as we age, as this is when brain shrinkage predominantly occurs. Memory loss is common during this period. Exercise can help to prevent this shrinkage and the accompanying memory loss says Arthur Kramer from the University of Illinios. ?MRI studies reveal that poorly regulated blood sugar levels cause the brains hippocampus region to shrink,? he says. But the more muscle one has, the better able their body is to regulate glucose levels and stave of this shrinkage. This is excellent news for bodybuilders and further incentive to make bodybuilding a regular part of ones life. ?Since weight training helps to build muscle, it is one of the best ways we have for preventing or possibly even reversing memory damage,? says Antonio Convit, MD, of the NYU School of Medicine. It appears brain function is also enhanced in children who exercise. In a four-year study at Albion College in Michigan, it was found that children who engaged in regular exercise scored significantly higher on standardized mathematics tests than their non-exercising counterparts (IAMBP, 2004). It was also reported that the exercise helped to improve the children?s emotional and social skills. It was once thought that the growth of new neurons (neurogenesis) did not occur in the adult mammalian brain at all. Now it appears that this process does take place and exercise may play a major role, according to Terrence Sejnowski, an HHMI researcher at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies. In Sejnowski?s study, memory skills were compared between two groups of mice - one sedentary group and one exercise group. It was found, upon comparing the neural change between the groups, that the exercise group, which had run on a treadmill for one month, had developed 2.5 times more neurons than the sedentary group. These neurons were not distributed evenly throughout the brain, but were concentrated in the dentate gyrus, a section of hippocampus - the all-important area involved in memory and learning. "These observations support the idea that exercise enhances the formation and survival of new nerve cells as well as the connections between nerve cells, which in turn improves long-term memory," Sejnowski explained Exercise Improves Brain Function In The Following Ways:
Additional ways to improve brain function (and consequently, training success) include:
The Following Multi-Sensory Association-Exercises Are Examples Of Neurobic Training:
As bodybuilders, and fitness enthusiasts, our goals are often physically related. Improvements in stamina, muscular size and symmetry tend to be overarching objectives and mental (brain) health as it relates to exercise, may be overlooked in pursuit of these things. Optimal brain health and physical fitness, however, are inextricably linked as shown in the research findings summarised in this article. Psychological well-being and memory/learning improvements often result from physical exercise and quality of training is often improved as a result of enhanced metal acuity. An excellent reason to continue training. References
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Exercise, which includes weight training, can have a profound effect on mental health by fundamentally helping the brain cope better with stress. Research into the effect of neuro-chemicals involved in the body?s stress response suggest that physically active people have lower rates of 
Memory is closely associated with learning in that, through memory, knowledge is acquired and made available. In fact, memory is a process of retaining, storing and recalling experiences. There are different types of memory: short-term (or temporary) which is stored for a very short period of time (a millisecond to a few minutes) and long-term (or permanent), which is longer lasting.
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