It’s the newest science-supported motive: exercise boosts physical fitness AND mental fitness. But how much, how intense, how does it change as we age, and the big question: how does it correlate to the current coronavirus epidemic?
In a May publication of Redox Biology, scientists evaluated the impact of exercise on extracellular superoxide dismutase (EcSOD). The article claims that endurance exercise promotes EcSOD in muscles and other vital body tissues. Those fancy terms simply refer to an exercise induced protection against cellular damage and oxidative stress resulting from disease. Which means exercise could protect you from some of the severe and even lethal symptoms of coronavirus.
According to a research article recently published in Nature; Human Behavior, moderate exercise for women and more intense exercise for men is correlated with ongoing cognitive benefits. The meta-analysis included an evaluation of 80 randomized controlled trials. Researchers concluded that while there were gender differences for exercise intensity and correlating mental fitness, the results held true across all age groups.
In other words…there has never been a better time to come together as a family and work up a sweat. From grandma to toddler, we will all become physically and mentally stronger through the COVID-19 epidemic by implementing a family exercise routine!
By Terissa Michele Miller, MS Psy
Check out the original research:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231720303190?via%3Dihub
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-020-0851-8
This article was originally published in Modern Brain Journal.
About the author:
Teri Miller is a mom of nine and child development researcher with a Masters of Science in Psychology. She is a Research Associate at Gibson Institute of Cognitive Research, co-host of the podcast Brainy Moms, and the Managing Editor at Modern Brain Journal.