Let's be honest. If you didn't have to do cardio to lose weight, no one would do it for fun. (Mostly...)
Cardio is not my favorite thing to do. I do it because I know it's good for my body and for losing/maintaining my weight, but is there any other benefit?
Scientists have discovered that between the ages of 30 and 90, or brain matter decreases by 20 %. Most of that shrinkage comes from the memory and learning part of our brains. That means that our brains literally shrink with age! Don't worry though, there may be hope for the senile!
The University of Illinois did a study on the effects of aerobic exercise versus non aerobic and the size of the brain. 58 people in their 60's and 70's worked out 3 times a week for 1 hour. 29 did aerobic exercises, 29 did total body stretching. They had them do this for 6 months, after which they they took MRI's of everyone's brain. The results showed that those who participated in aerobic exercise had significant increases in brain volume compared to those who did non-aerobic.
Crazy right?
Now, I'm not trying to bash on yoga, or stretching by any means. I LOVE me some yoga and I think everyone should be doing it. But maybe next time you'll think twice about sitting on the couch instead of going for a run. You're body and mind will thank you!
No comments:
Post a Comment