Key takeaways:
Regular exercise improves brain health by increasing blood flow, strengthening connections between brain cells and supporting their growth.
The benefits of exercise for brain health include improved thinking and memory, a reduced risk of dementia, improved mood, reduced inflammation, and better sleep.
The best routine for brain health combines aerobic exercise for about 30 minutes, 5 days a week, with strength training 2 days a week. Exercising outdoors in nature can be particularly beneficial for cognition and memory.
Exercise is great for your muscles, bones, and heart. But did you know it also keeps your brain healthy? Exercise improves memory and thinking, and it also protects your brain from dementia and age-related changes.
In fact, research has shown that regular physical activity may help your brain perform as if you were up to 4 years younger. If you need more reasons to add physical activity to your daily routine, consider the positive impact exercise can have on your brain health.
What happens to your brain when you exercise?
When you exercise, there are physical and chemical changes that occur in the body that affect the brain. Exercise leads to the following changes in the brain:
Promotes the growth of new brain cells (neurons)
Strengthens the connections between existing neurons
Releases neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine to help boost your mood
Keeps your blood vessels flexible, allowing them to carry blood to your brain and body better
Just like exercise increases blood flow to your muscles, it also improves circulation to your brain. The increased circulation has a few important functions, such as:
Carrying oxygen and important nutrients that nourish the brain
Helping to reduce inflammation that can lead to cognitive decline
To put it in simple terms, exercise helps keep your brain sharp as you age and can improve your mood, too. Let’s look at some other brain health benefits of regular exercise.
1. Improves cognition
Regular exercise boosts blood flow. Increased circulation has a wide range of benefits for your brain health and thinking skills, including improvements in:
Planning
Focus
Decision-making
Information processing
2. Improves and preserves memory
One study scanned the brains of more than 10,000 people. Regular exercisers had more brain volume than those who didn’t exercise. This included the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that stores memories and often shrinks as you age.
3. Prevents dementia
A 2025 study tracked almost 90,000 people for 4 years. Research shows that moderate-intensity activity cuts the risk of dementia. While most people averaged almost 130 minutes per week, those who had at least 30 minutes per week of exercise also decreased their risk significantly.
4. Boosts mood and reduces anxiety
Exercise triggers the release of brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. These chemicals have a huge effect on your mental well-being. As a result, regular exercise can:
Enhance mood
Reduce anxiety
Lower stress
5. Reduces inflammation
Exercise releases proteins that help reduce inflammation and strengthen your brain. Many forms of dementia, like Alzheimer’s are thought to be the result of inflammation that occurs in the brain. By decreasing inflammation, exercise may protect the brain from cognitive decline.
6. Improves sleep
Exercise improves sleep quality, which is important for brain health. It’s not just important to focus on how much sleep you get each night, but also whether you’re getting enough deep sleep. Research shows that getting regular deep sleep improves memory and brain function overall.
What are the best physical activities for brain health and memory?
Data shows that almost any type of exercise will improve cognition and memory. An important factor is finding an exercise you enjoy and can make a part of your daily routine.
Aerobic exercise
Aerobic exercise activities boost blood flow to the brain. This improves memory function and thinking skills. While any movement can help, try for at least 20 minutes a day of moderate-intensity exercise for the best results. These exercises include:
Walking
Biking
Swimming
Hiking
Running
Research shows that high-intensity exercise also offers big benefits. This includes running and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts.
Strength training
Research has found that strength training can improve cognition and lower inflammation in the brain. It also protects the hippocampus, the part of the brain that helps to preserve your memory.
For best results, try to do weight training at least 2 days a week. Strength training for brain health can be done in various ways, using:
Free weights
Gym machines
Resistance bands
Dumbbells
Researchers say that combining aerobic exercise and strength training is best for brain health benefits. One small study found that exercising outdoors may be better for cognition, attention, and memory as compared to indoors.
How long does it take for exercise to improve your brain health?
You can see both short- and long-term brain health benefits from exercise. After just one workout, it’s possible to see improvements in blood flow in your brain, better mood, and lower anxiety.
More significant changes to brain volume and cognition take a little longer. Six to 8 weeks of regular exercise can help to decrease the risk of dementia. After 12 weeks of regular exercise, it may be possible to see improvements in both memory and cognition.
Frequently asked questions
Adopting a regular exercise routine is the best thing you can do for your health. Your muscles and bones will get stronger, along with your heart and lungs. Exercise cuts body fat, builds lean muscle, and improves your metabolism, which can help you maintain a balanced and comfortable body weight. Exercise also improves brain health, sleep quality, and mood.
There are many long-term benefits of regular exercise. Exercise lowers your risk of chronic diseases, so you can live a longer, higher-quality life. These conditions include:
Osteoporosis
High blood pressure
Diabetes
Cancer
Heart attack
Stroke
In general, experts recommend 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, 5 days a week. But even a 5- or 10-minute walk outside can be beneficial if you are short on time. You should also add 2 days a week of muscle-strengthening exercises.
Adopting a regular exercise routine is the best thing you can do for your health. Your muscles and bones will get stronger, along with your heart and lungs. Exercise cuts body fat, builds lean muscle, and improves your metabolism, which can help you maintain a balanced and comfortable body weight. Exercise also improves brain health, sleep quality, and mood.
There are many long-term benefits of regular exercise. Exercise lowers your risk of chronic diseases, so you can live a longer, higher-quality life. These conditions include:
Osteoporosis
High blood pressure
Diabetes
Cancer
Heart attack
Stroke
In general, experts recommend 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, 5 days a week. But even a 5- or 10-minute walk outside can be beneficial if you are short on time. You should also add 2 days a week of muscle-strengthening exercises.
The bottom line
Exercise is one of the most important factors in keeping your brain healthy as you age. Aerobic exercise and strength training both improve blood flow to the brain. This provides essential nutrients that boost cognitive function and enhance both short-term and long-term memory.
Exercise also lowers inflammation in the brain and helps preserve and grow neurons. Along with the physical benefits, exercise also helps to boost your mood and decrease anxiety. Any amount of exercise is beneficial, but aim for 30 minutes of exercise, 5 days a week.
Why trust our experts?
References
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