Description
Acclaimed neuroscientist Gary Wenk reveals the fascinating impacts of exercise on the brainDecades of research demonstrate that regular modest levels of exercise improve heart and lung function and may relieve joint pain. Regular daily exercise will help your body to regulate blood sugar levels and reduce inflammation, and many of these benefits are a consequence of reducing the amount of body fat you carry around. Your body clearly benefits in many ways from regular exercise. Does your brain benefit as well? Does regular exercise positively affect brain function? Does our thinking become faster because we exercise? Does running a marathon make us smarter? Dr. Gary Wenk's goal is to provide a realistic perspective on what benefits your brain should expect to achieve from exercise. Your Brain on Exercise skillfully blends scholarship with illuminating insights and clarity. Without requiring any specialized knowledge about the brain, Your Brain on Exercise entertainingly illustrates the intersection between brain health, the consequences of exercise, and our need to eat in an entirely new light. An internationally renowned neuroscientist and medical researcher, Dr. Wenk has been educating college and medical students about the brain and lecturing around the world for more than forty years.
Table of Contents
IntroductionPart I: The High Cost of Exercise1. Learning From The Biggest Loser2. The Devil Is in the Details3. A Long Time Ago4. Making Energy for Exercise5. Exercise Requires Eating and Breathing6. It's Not Good to be a MalePart II: Your Brain on Exercise7. BDNF: Much ado about something?8. Muscle Signals to Your Brain9. The Paradox Molecule10. A Few Facts About Your Brain11. How Your Brain Responds to Exercise12. Exercise for the Depressed Brain13. Exercise for the Child's Brain14. Exercise for the Chemo Brain15. Exercise and Pain16. Exercise for the Injured Brain17. Diet and Exercise Following Brain Injury18. Exercising the Older BrainPart III: Why Exercise?References
