[/caption]Carl W. Cotman and Nicole C. Berchtold of The University of California, Irvine are among numerous researchers who found evidence that exercise helps you protect the brain cells you have, and it even spurs the growth of new ones. In their 2007 study, Exercise: A Behavioral Intervention to Enhance Brain Health and Plasticity, they report that using your muscles kicks off a remarkable process that allows your body to make more of a chemical called Brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This is a substance that actually makes more gray matter. So what exactly does that have to do with exercise habits, and our mind? It means that when we exercise, we can improve memory, concentration, and thinking skills. Moderate exercise helps our body make the special kind of brain cells that store memory and then get information back when you need it. These cells are found in the hippocampus, a part of the brain that was discovered to be larger in people who exercise regularly. The hippocampus keeps you oriented. It helps you find what you're looking for--everything from your car keys to the roadmap to that highway exit that got by you the first time around. If you've ever felt more alert during or after some aerobic exercise, it was most likely because your brain got another benefit.
Rehab professional and producer of Functional Fitness Brain Power DVD, Suzanne Andrews states, " we need to approach people living with dimentia differently and focus on helping people achieve to the best of their ability instead of focusing on their disability. Although it's also best practice to start an anti dementia program as early as age 40,it's never too late to begin."
Suzanne Andrews, host of Functional Fitness on PBS TV and producer of Brain Power DVD
instructs you with specially formulated cognition enhancing movements designed to enhance the right side and left side of your brain and get your blood circulating quickly. The faster your heart pumps it, the faster it gets to your brain. That means both oxygen and glucose arrive right when you need them. Your brain is fueled up, so you get a little jolt. Brain Power is, in fact, so effective in improving mental focus that it is often part of a treatment plan for people who have attention deficit disorder, dementia, memory loss and alzheimer's. Brain Power DVD is most valuable to mental function because of its effect upon the frontal and pre-frontal lobes. These areas of the brain help you to solve problems, prioritize tasks, and react to situations quickly. By doing this 25 minute session, you can even protect your pre-frontal cells from threats like environmental toxins or injury. These findings are especially promising for elderly people striving to maintain their independent living skills, and to those affected by dementia.
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