The Benefits You’ll Reap From Exercise May Include Greater Productivity

You know that getting the heart pumping through aerobic exercise is a ticket to good health, but just maybe you, your boss or your family will notice another side benefit: You may find yourself becoming more productive on the job and around the house.

"Aerobic exercise has at least two key brain-boosting effects," says Owen Carmichael, associate professor and director of biomedical imaging at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. "First, it helps the heart pump blood to the brain more efficiently, making vital blood-borne nutrients more readily available to brain tissue. Second, it promotes the secretion of certain molecules called neurotrophic factors, which help the brain grow, repair and maintain neurons."

Exercise helps increase stamina, which lets you stay awake and alert for longer periods of time during the day. Being more alert for more time during the day, in theory, should make us more productive, Carmichael says.

Hate to get hot and sweaty? Reaping cognitive benefits doesn't necessarily require hustling on that treadmill until you're perspiring profusely. Increasing your heart rate and breathing rate seem to be the essential components, so swimming laps in a cold pool can do the trick. And whether you are a morning person or not, exercising at any time of the day is better than not exercising at all, so don't worry that you didn't squeeze it in before your morning shower.

"The huge, looming challenge for most people is taking the time to exercise at all," Carmichael says. "Here at Pennington Biomedical and elsewhere, the message is that you should exercise whenever, whatever, wherever you can, as long as doing so helps you maintain a long-term regimen." 

While some studies show promising effects of exercise on cognitive functioning in senior citizens, it is not known how long the positive effects last or whether there are some individuals for whom taking up exercise late in life may be "too little, too late" to show a mental benefit, Carmichael says. The important thing is to get moving whatever your age. If you're in your 50s or early 60s, exercise may do more than help you out physically at that moment. It may set you up for better aging as you get into your 70s and 80s, Carmichael says. And if you're older, there are many other physical benefits to getting the heart pumping and the breath flowing — as well as a good chance you'll just be in a better mood.