Researchers at a university in Sweden have found that two minutes of exercise could boost how well your brain works.
The researchers from Jönköping University looked at 13 different studies from between 2009 and 2019. The studies examined how exercise affected people between the ages of 18 and 35.
It was found that taking part in anywhere between two minutes and one hour of exercise, such as walking, running or cycling, can improve a young adult’s learning and memory.
The research showed that it could also be helpful to exercise before working or studying, as the positive effects were found to last for up to two hours. The researchers said that exercise before encoding, which is the first phase of the brain’s process of converting information into memory, improves a young person’s attention, concentration, memory and learning.
However, they also said that more research is needed to find the best strategies to take advantage of this effect.
A number of other studies have shown links between regular exercise and brain function in children, teenagers and the elderly.
For example, a 2010 study found that more fit 9- and 10-year-olds performed better at certain memory tasks than less fit children. A 2015 study also found that more fit children were better at math.
In May this year, the American Academy of Neurology journal also published a study of people with an average age of 66 that showed that six months of regular exercise pumped blood to parts of the brain that can help improve verbal and mental skills.
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, adults should do 75 to 300 minutes of exercise each week. However, the department also says that less than a quarter of adults do the recommended amount of exercise, and less than 5% do 30 minutes of exercise every day.
