The Brainpower Workout

By Jennifer Matlack and Sam Gibbs

The road to a fit mind isn’t paved with crossword puzzles alone. In fact, walking that road can also boost your grey matter, say top researchers. “Exercise is much more about the brain than it is about the body,” says exercise physiologist and nutritionist Paul Taylor. “It’s like Miracle-Gro for neurons.” Physical activity creates all the conditions necessary for the brain to grow and flourish. It bathes neural tissue in oxygen-rich blood, increasing production of chemicals that improve memory, attention and problem-solving.

In one study, when sedentary adults jogged for half an hour two or three times a week for 12 weeks, their memory and ability to juggle tasks improved by 30 per cent. Just as important: the research also finds that inactivity stops this process. When study subjects returned to their couch-potato ways, they lost 10 per cent of the brain gains after six weeks.

To create the ultimate brainpower workout, we based our seven-day plan on cutting-edge research. This program wakes you up above the neck while still delivering the kilojoule-torching, body-toning benefits of your usual exercise. Follow along for a week’s worth of workouts, then continue to apply the strategies listed here as often as possible, whether you repeat the seven-day plan or incorporate the techniques into your own regular routines.

Day 1

Take a Nature Walk
Why it’s a brain booster: US researchers found that people’s memory and attention improved by 20 per cent when they walked in a park as opposed to an urban environment. Natural settings have a calming effect, allowing the brain to better process information, says study co-author Marc Berman, a PhD candidate and psychology researcher. Busy surroundings—noisy traffic, colourful billboards and crowds of people—clamour for attention and distract you. As a general rule, seek out trees: research shows that even in a concrete jungle, a little greenery can be a brain boon.

Day 2

Get Sensitive with Tai Chi
Why it’s a brain booster: Studies have long shown that practising tai chi improves balance. Research now reveals it may also protect the area of the brain responsible for our sense of touch, which tends to fade rapidly after age 40. In a Harvard study, 50- to 60-year-olds who engaged in tai chi sessions had more acute sensation in their fingertips, equivalent to that of people nearly half their age. An improved sense of feeling can help you thread a needle, savour hugs from loved ones or react quickly to a hot stove; as you age, it also helps prevent falls. Tai chi’s controlled movements strengthen the nerve pathways to fingers and toes, which would otherwise become less responsive with age, say study authors. See our five top tai-chi moves.

Day 3

Add In Speed
Why it’s a brain booster: One study found that after doing two three-minute sprints, subjects memorised new words 20 per cent faster than those who didn’t sprint. Cardio exercise increases blood flow, triggering growth in the brain’s hippocampus, the area responsible for memory and verbal learning. The proliferation of new brain cells may even be linked to a bigger brain. In one US study, the most aerobically fit people had (on average) a 7 per cent larger hippocampus than their sofa-sitting peers did.

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Day 4

Challenge Your Balance
Why it’s a brain booster Emerging research reveals a link between toning your muscles and toning your brain. In a Canadian study, older adults who lifted weights, did balance exercises and walked improved their decision-making abilities by almost 13 per cent in six months.

Adding a balance and coordination challenge to standard strength moves—such as simultaneously raising your right arm and left leg—may magnify the benefit. “When you’re doing complex exercise, the cerebellum and the motor cortex get hugely involved—you get whole-brain activation,” says Taylor. “But it’s important to get up on your feet and use free weights; sitting down to use weight machines leaves the brain to idle.” Add these mind-sharpening moves to your current routine. Do three sets of 10:

Balancing Arm Raise
Stand holding dumbbells at sides, palms facing back. Lift right knee to hip height as you raise left arm up in front, elbow straight, until you’re holding the weight overhead. Lower and switch sides.

Ballerina Curl
Stand with feet wide, toes out, holding dumbbells at sides, palms forwards. Bend knees, lowering hips. As you stand, curl dumbbells towards shoulders and lift heels. Lower dumbbells, then heels. Repeat.

Coordination Crunch
Lie on your back with a dumbbell in each hand close to your chest, elbows bent out to sides, legs straight up at right angles to your body, abs tight. Simultaneously open legs into a V as you lift head and shoulders off the floor and press weights straight up over chest. Lower to starting position; repeat.

Step and Pull
Stand with left foot about one metre in front of right, dumbbells at sides, palms facing back. Bend knees to lower into a lunge, front knee over ankle. Stand, bending elbows out to sides to pull weights up to chest level; bring right knee forwards to hip height. Balance, then step back into another lunge, lowering arms.

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Day 5

Toss a ball while walking
Why it’s a brain booster: German researchers found that adolescents who bounced, threw or passed balls with alternating hands for just 10 minutes enjoyed better attention and concentration during a subsequent lesson and test. And you don’t have to be a teen to benefit, say study authors, who speculate that handling a ball primes the part of the brain that controls focus. If you want to go one better for your brain—try multiple balls! In a University of Oxford study, subjects who learned to juggle enhanced their brain’s white matter, regardless of their ability.

Day 6

Repeat day 3— with a friend
Why it’s a brain booster: Research suggests that beefing up your social life lowers your chances of memory loss. A study published in the American Journal of Public Health reported that women with extensive social networks slashed their risk of dementia by as much as 26 per cent. What’s more, psychological research concludes that encouraging others to exercise fuels your own motivation, too.

Day 7

Repeat day 4— with eyes closed
Why it’s a brain booster: “When you remove visual cues, you push your brain to use circuits that aren’t normally engaged,” says neuroscientist John Martin, PhD. By closing your eyes, you force your brain to adapt. This improves neuroplasticity—your mind’s ability to adapt and finetune itself when faced with new experiences, a process that tends to wane with age.