More than a decade ago, some fairly conclusive evidence came out that showed a connection between fitness and neurogenesis, the growth of new brain cells. Making a connection between neurogenesis and learning is a no-brainer.

The study that was done involved mice, some of which were allowed to run voluntarily. They tested the mice by having them swim to a platform. Apparently, mice aren’t too keen on swimming, so they take the quickest route to the platform. They used this part of the test to show long-term memory growth. From the article in ScienceDaily:

“We can’t ask a mouse if it remembered where the platform was located, so we measure long-term memory by having them swim to the platform,” said [Terrence] Sejnowski [an HHMI investigator at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies].

After six days of training each group of mice for the swimming task, the researchers began the study. The group of mice that had been exercising made a beeline for the platform. In contrast, the sedentary mice took significantly longer paths and times to find the dock. The path chosen and time taken reflect long-term memory, or how well the mice recall the platform’s location. Based on the swimming test, mice in the exercise group were better able to remember the platform’s location compared to mice in the sedentary group.

Next the researchers looked for changes in the number of nerve cells between the two groups of animals. In comparison to sedentary mice, the brains of mice that exercised had about 2.5 times more new nerve cells.

New nerve cells were not distributed evenly throughout the brain, but were concentrated in the dentate gyrus, a section of a larger area of the brain called the hippocampus. The hippocampus plays a central role in many memory formation processes, including spatial learning–locating objects in the environment–and consciously recalling facts, episodes, and unique events.

Nothing helps you learn like an improved ability to recall facts and events, which means that all of us active mice–er, humans–have a leg up on the competition.

A Whole Lot of Birds, One Stone: Exercise Improves Healing and Relieves Stress, Too!

Other studies have shown quite a connection between exercise and stress relief. Anyone who’s ever gone for a good run (or what have you) after a long day can attest to this. Did you know that exercise also boosts your immune system? Let’s look at a few snippets from three more studies, collected by The Franklin Institute:

1. “In first study, rats that ran on a wheel regularly for four weeks were compared to sedentary rats. In the first experiment, after experiencing 90 minutes of moderate stress, the exercise rats had lower amounts of a protein produced in stress-reactive brain areas, including the prefrontal cortex and amygdala.”
2. “After experiencing 90 minutes of moderate stress, the exercising rats released less of the adrenaline-like hormone norepinephrine than did sedentary rats, when both groups were under stress.”
3. “In the third study, the rats were infected with E. coli bacteria. The exercise rodents had an increased migration of bacteria-attacking white blood cells to the infection site, and their healing time increased by three to four days.”

The lesson here? Exercise is fantastic for you and for your brain. If you’re looking for some quick stress relief, you should be lacing up those running shoes.

School Can Be Stressful: Pick Up a New Hobby to Stay Fit

School is stressful at almost every level, from the elementary-schooler dreading a spelling test to the doctoral candidate preparing to defend her dissertation. Getting a hobby provides you with a little respite from reality. Rather than going from a fluorescent-lit classroom or cubicle to a fluorescent-lit gym, get outside! A good hike, a great trail run, a thrilling mountain bike ride–things like these give you the time and space you need to decompress, all the while giving you the exercise you need to stay healthy.

Picking up a new hobby requires learning new skills, which helps neurogenesis just like exercise. Why not combine the two? You’ll be looking better, feeling better, and thinking better in no time.