Never mind the aching body: jogging is good for the mind * The Guardian, Thursday 22 December 2005
After years of arguments, worries about knee joints and sore nipples, the debate has come full circle. Jogging, it appears, really is good for you - at least for your mind. German researchers have discovered that pounding the pavement can improve concentration and boost visual memory. The researchers, who are based at the University of Ulm, sent a group of 30 people jogging twice a week for 30 minutes and then tested them for mental improvements. They found that while their memory for numbers remained much the same, their ability to recall images and complete visual tasks, such as map work, had dramatically improved. Halfway through the experiment the researchers split the team of joggers, with one group continuing to run. Those who had stopped jogging started to make far more mistakes than those who continued. Clyde Williams, professor of sports science at Loughborough University, welcomed the findings. "This research has put science behind what was already the perceived wisdom - that exercise does more than just help your health, " he said yesterday. "Anecdotally, and from research we have done at Loughborough, people feel a lot more alive and alert after exercise. You are more aware of your surroundings." He added: "There is an increase in the blood flow to your brain when you do regular exercise. "This concept of improving cognitive functions when you take exercise is not new. But now the evidence seems to be stacking up." The German researchers cannot say why jogging helped improve mental faculties. But Sanna Stroth, a psychologist who worked on the study, said the hippocampus region - which is responsible for a number of memory functions - was the key. ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
