Fitness

5 unexpected ways exercise boosts your brain

Published

1 year ago

December 15, 2024

5 unexpected ways exercise boosts your brain

Recent groundbreaking research from University College London has uncovered that a single workout can enhance your brain function for an entire day. This discovery challenges previous assumptions about the temporary nature of exercise’s cognitive benefits and offers new insights into maximizing mental performance through physical activity.

Why your workout impacts tomorrow’s thinking

The study reveals several key ways exercise enhances cognitive function:

Working memory improves significantly for up to 24 hours after moderate to vigorous physical activity.
Episodic memory, which helps you recall past events and experiences, shows notable enhancement following exercise.
Attention span increases substantially when regular physical activity combines with quality sleep.
Psychomotor speed, affecting reaction time and coordination, demonstrates marked improvement.
Overall cognitive performance rises when participants reduce sedentary time between exercise sessions.

The sleep-exercise connection

Research participants who achieved six or more hours of sleep alongside regular exercise showed the most significant cognitive improvements. This combination proved particularly powerful for memory retention and mental processing speed, suggesting a synergistic relationship between physical activity and rest.

Breaking the sitting cycle

The study highlights how extended periods of inactivity can counteract cognitive benefits. Even regular exercisers who spend most of their day sitting may not realize the full mental advantages of their workouts.

Maximizing your brain benefits

Understanding the timing of exercise can help optimize its cognitive effects. While immediate benefits appear within minutes of working out, the sustained improvements last significantly longer than previously thought.

The science of movement and memory

Researchers discovered that moderate exercise triggers specific brain changes that enhance memory formation and retention. These improvements become more pronounced when combined with proper sleep patterns and reduced sedentary behavior.

Understanding the optimal exercise types

The research suggests that different forms of physical activity may offer varying cognitive benefits. While moderate aerobic exercise shows consistent positive effects, other forms of movement also contribute to brain health. Activities like yoga combine physical movement with mindfulness, potentially offering unique cognitive advantages. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) demonstrates promising results for improving memory and attention span, though more research is needed to understand the full extent of its benefits.

The role of consistency

While single exercise sessions show significant cognitive benefits, regular physical activity appears to create cumulative effects. Participants who maintained consistent exercise routines throughout the study period demonstrated more stable cognitive improvements compared to those who exercised sporadically. This suggests that establishing a regular exercise routine might be more beneficial for long-term brain health than occasional intense workouts.

Age-specific considerations

Although the study focused on adults aged 50-83, researchers believe these findings have important implications for younger populations. Young professionals and students, in particular, might benefit from understanding how exercise timing can optimize their cognitive performance for important meetings, presentations, or exams.

Impact on daily productivity

The extended cognitive benefits of exercise could have significant implications for workplace performance. Knowing that physical activity can enhance mental clarity for up to 24 hours allows individuals to strategically plan their workouts to optimize productivity during crucial work periods.

Social and emotional benefits

Beyond the direct cognitive improvements, regular exercise combined with adequate sleep shows positive effects on mood regulation and social interaction. Participants reported feeling more engaged in social situations and better equipped to handle stress when maintaining consistent exercise and sleep routines.

Practical implementation strategies

To maximize these cognitive benefits, consider these actionable steps:

Schedule workouts strategically before important cognitive tasks
Break up long periods of sitting with short movement breaks
Create a consistent sleep schedule that allows for adequate rest
Choose physical activities that you enjoy to ensure long-term adherence
Gradually increase activity levels to build sustainable habits

Environmental factors

The study also noted that environmental conditions during exercise might influence cognitive benefits. Outdoor exercise, in particular, showed slightly enhanced effects compared to indoor activities, possibly due to the additional mental stimulation provided by changing environments and natural settings.

Nutritional considerations

While the study focused primarily on exercise and sleep, researchers noted that nutrition likely plays a supporting role in maximizing cognitive benefits. Proper hydration and balanced nutrition appear to enhance the brain-boosting effects of physical activity, though more research is needed in this area.

Future research directions

Scientists plan to explore several promising areas for future study, including:

The potential differences in cognitive benefits between various types of exercise
The role of timing in maximizing cognitive improvements
How individual factors like age and fitness level influence these benefits
The interaction between exercise, nutrition, and cognitive function

Long-term implications

Understanding the extended cognitive benefits of exercise could reshape how we approach both physical activity and mental performance optimization. This research suggests that regular exercise might be one of the most effective tools for maintaining and enhancing cognitive function throughout life.

The combination of physical activity and proper sleep continues to emerge as a powerful duo for cognitive enhancement. As we learn more about these connections, it becomes increasingly clear that investing in regular exercise pays dividends not just for physical health but for mental performance as well.

Moving forward, this research opens new avenues for understanding how lifestyle choices impact cognitive function. Whether you’re a student preparing for exams, a professional aiming to enhance work performance, or someone interested in maintaining long-term brain health, the message is clear: today’s workout is an investment in tomorrow’s thinking.

By incorporating these findings into daily routines and maintaining consistent exercise habits, individuals can optimize both their physical and mental well-being. The key lies in finding sustainable ways to stay active while ensuring adequate rest, creating a balanced approach to cognitive enhancement through lifestyle choices.

Fitness

Put the fun back in your fitness routine with this 10-minute follow-along workout from The Curvy Girl Trainer Lacee Green

Published

45 minutes ago

April 22, 2026

Press Room

Put the fun back in your fitness routine with this 10-minute follow-along workout from The Curvy Girl Trainer Lacee Green

Ever feel like beginner-friendly workouts are anything but?

That’s how BODi Super Trainer Lacee Green felt, so she devised a three-week, entry-level program designed for genuine newcomers to exercise—or those just getting back into it.

“My beginner-only plan is for every body and everybody,” Green tells Fit&Well.

Green’s program combines low-impact cardio, strength, core and mobility workouts for a total of five sessions a week and 30 minutes a day.

One of the routines she loves—that she says will provide a flavor of the plan—is a total-body cardio workout inspired by seven different sports.

“There is no repetition, it’s all bodyweight and super fun,” she says. “We do basketball, we do pickleball, we do soccer, and it’s really going to get your heart rate up.”

It will all count toward the CDC’s recommended 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week, while incorporating resistance training elements to strengthen your bones and muscles, she explains.

And Green has provided the full 10-minute routine below for you to try.

10-minute cardio workout for beginners

Press play on the video above and Green will guide you through the workout, or keep reading to see what’s in store.

Green’s 10-minute beginner-only cardio workout is inspired by seven different sports that she says will help channel your inner athlete.

Each sport links to an exercise during the routine. Follow the short warm-up, then perform each move for 40 seconds and rest for 20 seconds, for one round per sport.

In the video, another trainer demonstrates variations of each exercise so you can make it slightly more challenging as desired. The workout concludes with a short cool-down.

Here’s a brief breakdown of each exercise.

1. Basketball catch and shoot

Step to your side, then reach up into full extension as if shooting a three-pointer. Repeat by shuffling from side to side.

2. Quick football feet

Lower into a quarter squat with your feet wide apart and alternate quick stepping onto either foot. On Green’s cues, switch the direction you face from center to left and right.

3. Skater side-step

Step side to side as if skating, hitting an imaginary hockey stick across your body.

4. Soccer kick-up

Keeping light on your feet, hop from side to side as if juggling a football with your feet.

5. Pickleball shuffle

Lower into a half squat with your hands together in front of you. Keeping low, step or jump forward, then shuffle back to the start position.

6. Boxing jab cross

Stand side on with slightly bent knees and your guard up. Alternate throwing jabs with your left and right, switching your stance after 20 seconds.

7. Baseball squat to high plank

With your feet wide apart, lower into a deep squat with your hands up like a catcher. Place your hands on the floor and step back into a high plank, then back to the low squat.

About our expert

Lacee Green

Lacee Green is a BODi Super Trainer, certified personal trainer (CPT) and coach with more than 10 years of experience. She hosts a number of BODi on-demand fitness programs that are designed to challenge and motivate you while also providing a supportive and inclusive environment.

Fitness

Higher fitness levels linked to lower risk of depression, dementia – Harvard Health

Published

13 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Higher fitness levels linked to lower risk of depression, dementia – Harvard Health

research review

People with high cardiorespiratory fitness were 36% less likely to experience depression and 39% less likely to develop dementia than those with low cardiorespiratory fitness. Even small improvements in fitness were linked to a lower risk. Experts believe that exercise’s ability to boost blood flow to the brain, reduce bodywide inflammation, and improve stress regulation may explain the connection.

Fitness

These 20-Minute Burpee Workouts Replaced His Entire Gym Routine – and Transformed His Physique

Published

1 day ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

These 20-Minute Burpee Workouts Replaced His Entire Gym Routine – and Transformed His Physique

While many swear by them, most people see burpees as a form of punishment – usually dished out drill sergeant-style by overzealous bootcamp PTs. Often the final blow in an already brutal workout, burpees are designed to test cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance and mental grit. Love them or loathe them, they deliver every time.

For Max Edwards – aka Busy Dad Training on YouTube – they became a simple but highly effective way to stay fit and lean during lockdown. Once a committed powerlifter, spending upwards of 80 minutes a day in the gym, he was forced to overhaul his approach due to fatherhood, lockdown and a schedule that no longer allowed for long, structured lifting sessions.

‘Even though I was putting in hours and hours into the gym and even though my physique was pretty good, I wasn’t becoming truly excellent at any physical discipline,’ he explained in a YouTube video.

‘I loved the intentionality of training,’ says Edwards. ‘The fact that every session has a point, every rep in every set is helping you get towards a training goal, and I loved that there was a clear way of gauging progression – feeling like I was developing competence and moving towards mastery.’

Why He Walked Away From Powerlifting

Despite that structure, Edwards began to question whether powerlifting was sustainable long-term.

‘My sessions were very taxing on my central nervous system. I was exhausted between sessions. It felt as if I needed at least nine hours of sleep each night just to function.’

He also noted that his appetite was consistently high.

But the biggest drawback was time.

‘I could not justify taking 80 minutes a day away from my family for what felt like a self-centred pursuit,’ he says.

A Simpler Approach That Stuck

‘Over the course of that year I fixed my relationship with alcohol and I developed, for the first time in my adult life, a relationship with physical training,’ says Edwards.

With limited time and no access to equipment, he turned to burpees. Just two variations, four times a week, with each session lasting 20 minutes.

‘My approach in each workout was very simple. On a six-count training day I would do as many six-counts as I possibly could within 20 minutes. On a Navy Seal training day I would do as many Navy Seal burpees as I could within 20 minutes – then in the next workout I would simply try to beat the number I had managed previously.’

This style of training is known as AMRAP – as many reps (or rounds) as possible.

The Results

Edwards initially saw the routine as nothing more than a six-month stopgap to stay in shape. But that quickly changed.

‘I remember catching sight of myself in the mirror one morning and I was utterly baffled by the man I saw looking back at me.’

He found himself in the best shape of his life. His energy levels improved, his resting heart rate dropped and his physique changed in ways that powerlifting hadn’t quite delivered.

‘It has been five years since I have set foot in a gym,’ he says. ‘That six-month training practice has become the defining training practice of my life – and for five years I have trained for no more than 80 minutes per week.’

The Burpee Workouts

1/ 6-Count Burpees

20-minute AMRAP, twice a week

How to do them:

Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart
Crouch down and place your hands on the floor (count 1)
Jump your feet back into a high plank (count 2)
Lower into the bottom of a push-up (count 3)
Push back up to plank (count 4)
Jump your feet forward to your hands (count 5)
Stand up straight (count 6)

20-minute AMRAP, twice a week

How to do them:

Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart
Crouch down and place your hands on the floor
Jump your feet back into a high plank
Perform a push-up (chest to floor)
At the top, bring your right knee to your right elbow, then return
Perform another push-up
Bring your left knee to your left elbow, then return
Perform a third push-up
Jump your feet forward
Stand or jump to finish

Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health UK where she contributes regular workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a post graduate diploma in Sports Performance Nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5k hours coaching on the gym floor. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering for animal shelters and when she isn’t lifting weights in her garden, she can be found walking her rescue dog.