MAKE YOURSELF EXERCISE
Dr Jennifer Heisz, associate professor in kinesiology and director of the NeuroFit Lab she founded at McMaster University in Canada, used her brain health expertise to motivate herself to get t. This is how she did it.
SWILL YOUR MOUTH WITH A SUGARY DRINK
One of Heisz’s tricks is to swish a sugary solution, such as a sports drink or even diluted maple syrup, in her mouth without swallowing it before she exercises. Why? Because it tricks the brain into thinking the body is about to get a jolt of energy. “With a false promise of sugar and a signal that energy reserves are plentiful, the brain starts to release dopamine so that we then are primed to get going,” she says.
University of Birmingham researchers discovered “mouth-rinsing” for ve seconds had a performance-enhancing e ect for cyclists the presence of sugar in the mouth is detected by brain receptors that stimulate parts of the brain involved in motivation. There was no e ect when the cyclists used an arti cial sweetener.
EMBRACE YOUR CHRONOTYPE
Trying to force yourself to the gym before work may back re if you are a natural night owl. Research on athletes at the University of Birmingham’s school of biosciences showed that each person’s chronotype (body clock) displayed a di erent peak performance time and night owls performed 26% worse when they were asked to train in the morning. The scientists showed that recreational exercisers were also a ected.
EXERCISE WITH OTHERS
“There is plenty of research proving that we are more likely to stick with exercise if there is a social element to it and if you have an ‘exercise family’ around you,” Heisz says. A study at Bournemouth University found older adults were less likely to quit if they worked out in groups.
There’s another payo social workouts can help to keep your brain young. “When your brain lacks social stimulation it gradually withers and your faculties fade,” she says. “Physical activity is good for cognitive health and so is social interaction, and a workout with others provides both.”