So we all know exercise is good for your heart, and we know it's good for your bones, and muscles, and blood circulation, and your lungs, not to mention it helps prevent all sorts of chronic illnesses, aids in weight loss, and is a key component of overall health and well-being.  What you may not realize is how much exercise benefits your brain. 

Beginning in our late 20s, most people lose about 1% annually of the volume of the hippocamus, a key portion of the brain related to memory and certain types of learning.  Exercise, it turns out, slows and even reverses the brain's physical decay, similar to how it slows / reverses muscle and bone loss.  While it used to be thought that we are born with a finite number of brain cells, we now know that adults do in fact create fresh brain cells (neurogenesis), mostly in the hippocamus.  Scientists have found that exercise actually jumpstarts neurogenesis.   Even more important, recent studies have proven that exercise also helps integrate these newly birthed neurons into the existing neural network.  If they do not integrate, these neurons are in essence useless.  Research has shown that exercise makes these neurons nimble, with the ability to not only seamlessly integrate into the existing neural network, but also be used for multiple cognitive purposes.  Exercise literally "bulks up" our brain power.

Another astounding effect of exercise on the brain is its contribution to glycogen levels in the brain.  Scientists used to think the brain subsisted solely off glucose, or blood sugar, but it turns out that there are specialized cells in the brain called astrocytes that act as support cells for the neurons which contain small stores of glycogen.  Glycogen is critical for the health of cells throughout the brain and is an alternative source of energy for neurons.  A recent experiment with adult male rats demonstrated that glycogen levels in the brain decreased after prolonged exercise, similar to the way glycogen levels in our muscles decrease after exercise.  However, when the rats were allowed to rest and feed after the exercise (for us humans this equates to rest, recovery, and a post-workout shake), those glycogen levels not only restored themselves, but in fact soared way past their normal levels - up to 60% above normal in the frontal cortex and hippocamus, and slightly less in other areas of the brain.  These levels went back to their regular baseline within 24 hours, so the increase was only temporary. However, when the animals continued to exercise for a period of 4 weeks, the super-glycogen stores that were the result of the single bout of exercise never leveled out, but rather became the new norm - the new baseline level.  The sustained increase was especially notable in those portions of the brain critical to memory and learning, the cortex and the hippocamus. 

The implications of these findings are vast and great.  Exercise is turning out to be hugely important for brain functioning, brain aging, brain power, and brain health - especially in the areas of memory and learning.  All of a sudden, cutting physical education in schools seems completely crazy(if it didn't already seem  crazy to you before).  If nothing else you've heard has convinced you to get active before, hopefully this will.  If you already exercise, keep on trucking with the knowledge that you are not only helping your body, but your brain as well.  And if you don't already drink a post-workout recovery shake immediately following exercise, START!  Not only will you get better physical results, you'll also have a much more powerful brain!  Plus, as the study showed, your brain desperately needs to restore its glycogen levels, critical to brain health, which decrease initially after exercise until you eat and rest.  Do not deprive your brain!  Exercise, rest and recover!

Brett Kane's

Sweet Potato

Turkey Chili

     

Group 1:

• 2 Cups Organic Chicken Broth
• 1 Can Goya Black Beans
• 1 Can Goya Red Kidney Beans
• 1 Can Goya Dark Kidney Beans
• 1 Can Cento San Marzano crushed tomatoes (23 oz)
• 1 Whole Red Bell Pepper, diced
• 1 Tsp Dried Ground Sage
• 1 Tsp Thyme
• 1 Tsp Cumin
• 1 Tsp Turmeric
• ½ Tsp Pepper
• 1 Tsp Dry Red Pepper Flakes
• ½ Tsp Toasted Anise Seeds (place seeds in hot dry pan for 2 minutes, then pulverize)
• 4 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce
• 1 ¼ cups Dry Red Wine

Group 2:

•  3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 lb. Lean Ground Turkey (99% lean)
• 2 Cups shitake mushrooms, diced
• 1 Sweet Mayan Onion, diced
• 5 Garlic Cloves, Minced

Group 3:

• 1 large Yam (aka Sweet Potato) diced
• ¼ Cup Water
• ½ Cup Organic Vegetable Broth (You can substitute Chicken Broth if desired) 

Chili Prep