Train Your Brain

Want a beautiful mind? Sculpt a beautiful body

- Selene Yeager

Misplaced keys. The inability to find the right word. That midday dip in work productivity. All annoying, for sure – but that’s not the only thing they have in common. As bizarre as it sounds, scheduling more gym time might be the solution to all three problems. Researchers now understand how the same spinning class or boot camp that tones your butt can also help you muscle up between the ears. Regular exercise can turbocharge brainpower and improve mood, memory and focus, while fighting depression and age-related cognitive decline. What’s more, studies show that your mental outlook can affect how you react to pain during a workout, which can influence whether you dig in or throw in the towel. By understanding how the brain responds to each phase of your workout, you can make the most of this very cool mindbody connection.

Wishful Thinking

You’ve got a decision to make: press snooze... Or pop out of bed and exercise? Hit the gym after work... Or hit happy hour?

In these moments when you’re staring down your takkies, you’re trying to rouse your left prefrontal cortex (PFC), the area of the brain where your elements of will power reside. Regular exercisers have an advantage: their brains can anticipate the positive perks of a sweat session. “When you have positive reinforcement, you’re much more likely to do something,” says Dr John Ratey, author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.