Exercise Your IQ

tip-o-the-morning

Tom Corley boats - crop

A neuron (brain cell) has one axon and multiple dendrites. The axon branches of neurons connect to the dendrites of other neurons, creating what is known as a synapse. Neural stem cells are pre-brain cells. They are born in the hippocampus and either divide into neural cells or glial cells (support cells for neurons). Neural cells are sent from the hippocampus to the dendrite gyrus, which acts like a traffic cop, ordering them to go to specific regions of the brain.

There is a direct correlation between the number of axons, dendrites and synapses an individual has and their intelligence. Anything that increases the number of axons, dendrites and synapses, therefore, increases intelligence.

Research has found that regular exercise does a number of things that improve brain performance:

  • Exercise increases the number of neural stem cells created by the hippocampus. It doesn’t matter if you’re jogging or lifting weights.
  • Aerobic exercise, such as jogging, increases blood-flow to the brain. The more you exercise, the higher the blood flow. This increased blood flow feeds the brain with more glucose or ketones (brain fuel) and oxygen.
  • Oxygen not only acts as a catalyst, helping to convert glucose or ketones into ATP (brain fuel), but it also acts like a sponge, soaking up free radical waste, left over from the conversion of glucose or ketones into ATP. Aerobic exercise, therefore, cleans out toxins and wastes from brain cells.
  • Weight lifting increases the production of BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor), which is produced inside the hippocampus. BDNF is like miracle grow for the brain, helping it give birth to more neural cells and also helping to increase the size of existing neurons.

In effect, exercise grows your brain by creating new brain cells and increasing the size of existing brain cells. Muscle movement increases the growth of axons. Lifting weights, therefore, increases the growth of axons, which helps contribute to increased synaptic activity.

So, if you want to increase your IQ, start exercising.

Be Sociable, Share!
Thomas C. Corley About Thomas C. Corley

Tom Corley is a bestselling author, speaker, and media contributor for Business Insider, CNBC and a few other national media outlets.

His Rich Habits research has been read, viewed or heard by over 50 million people in 25 countries around the world.

Besides being an author, Tom is also a CPA, CFP, holds a master’s degree in taxation and is President of Cerefice and Company, a CPA firm in New Jersey.
 
Phone Number: 732-382-3800 Ext. 103.
Email Tom
| Download Media Kit

Speak Your Mind

*