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Podcast Episode
April 10, 2023

Mind and Body: How Exercise Affects Our Brain with Louisa Nicola

Mind and Body: How Exercise Affects Our Brain with Louisa Nicola

Fact Checked
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Last Updated:
April 10, 2023

Report Highlights. Wearable devices have as much as 20% error when measuring heart rate, and caloric expenditure measurements can be off by as much as 100%. Most wearable fitness devices overestimate total sleep time and underestimate wakefulness after sleep onset.

Key TAKEAWAYS

• Exercise, particularly aerobic and resistance training, profoundly affect brain health and neuroplasticity by promoting the production of growth factors like BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and myokines such as irisin. These factors support neuron growth, improve cognitive function, and can help stave off Alzheimer's disease.

• Zone two training, which focuses on training in the two-millimole lactate threshold, promotes mitochondrial biogenesis in the brain, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, leading to an increase in the number of mitochondria and thus improved brain function.

• Engaging in regular aerobic exercise and strength training can have lasting impacts on the brain health and cognitive function, but it's essential to train at the right intensity and duration to achieve these benefits. For aerobic exercise, aim for at least three hours a week, while strength training should include three to four sessions per week at 70-75% of your one-repetition max.

Contents
For further analysis, we broke down the data by wearable device:
Contents
For further analysis, we broke down the data by wearable device:

Show Notes

Louisa Nicola is a neurophysiologist and Human Performance Coach who is the founder and head performance advisor of Neuro Athletics - a consulting firm training some of the best athletes in the world. In today's episode, we discuss how exercise impacts brain health and cognitive function. Louisa discusses how aerobic exercise affects growth factors in the brain that improve neuroplasticity. She also reveals emerging research on how resistance training amplifies the effects of brain-derived growth factors and much more.

Key Quotes

20 minutes a day of aerobic activity over a six-month period can starve off Alzheimer's disease by 20 years.”

“Resistance training is changing the structure of our brain, the function of our brain, it’s an incredible modality”

“Our brain is the most vascular-rich organ in the body, meaning that it has millions of capillaries. It's got millions of vessels. “If you were to pull apart all the vessels in the brain, it would span over 400 miles.”

Cite this page:

Korem, Erik. “Accuracy of Consumer Wearable Technology” AIM7.com, March 8, 2023, https://aim7.com/post/accuracy-of-consumer-wearable-technology

Contents
For further analysis, we broke down the data by wearable device:
Cite this page:

Brownell, A., Korem, E., and Morris, C. “Accuracy of Wearable Technology & Smart Watches” AIM7.com, March 23, 2023, https://aim7.com/blog/smartwatch-wearable-technology-accuracy

Contents
For further analysis, we broke down the data by wearable device:
Key TAKEAWAYS

• Exercise, particularly aerobic and resistance training, profoundly affect brain health and neuroplasticity by promoting the production of growth factors like BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and myokines such as irisin. These factors support neuron growth, improve cognitive function, and can help stave off Alzheimer's disease.

• Zone two training, which focuses on training in the two-millimole lactate threshold, promotes mitochondrial biogenesis in the brain, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, leading to an increase in the number of mitochondria and thus improved brain function.

• Engaging in regular aerobic exercise and strength training can have lasting impacts on the brain health and cognitive function, but it's essential to train at the right intensity and duration to achieve these benefits. For aerobic exercise, aim for at least three hours a week, while strength training should include three to four sessions per week at 70-75% of your one-repetition max.

Contents
For further analysis, we broke down the data by wearable device:

Show Notes

Louisa Nicola is a neurophysiologist and Human Performance Coach who is the founder and head performance advisor of Neuro Athletics - a consulting firm training some of the best athletes in the world. In today's episode, we discuss how exercise impacts brain health and cognitive function. Louisa discusses how aerobic exercise affects growth factors in the brain that improve neuroplasticity. She also reveals emerging research on how resistance training amplifies the effects of brain-derived growth factors and much more.

Key Quotes

20 minutes a day of aerobic activity over a six-month period can starve off Alzheimer's disease by 20 years.”

“Resistance training is changing the structure of our brain, the function of our brain, it’s an incredible modality”

“Our brain is the most vascular-rich organ in the body, meaning that it has millions of capillaries. It's got millions of vessels. “If you were to pull apart all the vessels in the brain, it would span over 400 miles.”

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