Studies reveal how long and which type of exercise boosts brain power

Sharpen your cognition by performing this type of exercise

By Steph Green Published November 6, 2024

Man doing HIIT workout. — Airam Dato-on / Pexels

Exercise improves your mood by prompting the release of feel-good endorphins. Moving your body also strengthens your muscles and enhances your ability to perform your everyday functional tasks. Exercising provides an abundance of benefits for your mind and body, including improving cognition. For example, a large study of Swedish military recruits revealed that as people grow physically stronger, they also become a little smarter. If you’re wondering which type of exercise boosts brain power and how long to do it, a recent review of over 100 studies yielded an interesting conclusion.

The review

man riding bike bicycle with helmet on cycling outdoors blue sky — Kingbull Bikes / Unsplash

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, assessed over 100 studies to determine whether individual exercise sessions affect the brain, and which type of exercise had the biggest impact. The studies examined more than 4,000 healthy adult participants, and the review was published in Communications Psychology.

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The results

man boxing shirtless gym boxing gloves — Logan Weaver / Unsplash

Neuroscientist and senior author of the study, Barry Giesbrecht, explained that exercise interventions, such as a program you would do three times a week over several months or years, improve cognition. The researchers concluded that just one short burst of exercise can enhance your thinking skills, and exercise lasting less than 30 minutes was more effective than exercise lasting longer than 30 minutes.

The most optimal types of exercise are vigorous heart-pumping workouts like cycling or high-intensity interval training. The researchers showed that these types of exercise were associated with the most significant positive changes in cognitive abilities and executive functioning, which involves working memory, planning, attention, information processing, and multitasking.

The takeaway

man doing HIIT high intensity interval training outside on grass rope — Alora Griffiths / Unsplash

The takeaway here is that even one single session of exercise for 30 minutes or less can brush up your thinking skills and could help you to be more productive for the rest of your day. Even if you can only fit in one or two workouts that week, it’s still worth it for your brain and body. You might accomplish more at work if you boost your mood and cognition with the power of exercise. The researchers of this large review showed that vigorous and aerobic exercise like HIIT provides the best outcome.

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Steph Green is a content writer specializing in healthcare, wellness, and nutrition. With over ten years of experience, she…

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