Hi, I am Dr. Paul Aravich, a neuroscientist at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Brain function critically depends upon brain fitness.
Physical exercise is one way to promote brain fitness.
It increases brain oxygen and glucose delivery. Animal research also shows that exercise increases factors that promote brain cell survival and growth. The current US Dietary Guidelines recommend that all Americans obtain at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day. There are many other ways to exercise your brain. For example, listening to Mozart increases the activity of some of the same brain regions activated by chess and complicated math problems.