Exercise Can Quiet Your Thoughts, If It’s Hard Enough

Exercise Can Quiet Your Thoughts, If It’s Hard Enough

Light cardiovascular exercise can help to set your mind at ease, and give you an opportunity to mull over your thoughts. But what if your thoughts are bothering you so much you just need a distraction? It turns out exercise can do that, too.

Photo via VisualHunt.

During tough, anaerobic workouts, your brain has a hard time dealing with abstract and creative thoughts. That means high-intensity intervals may be the perfect workout for a bad day. Sprints, burpees or a cycling session that leaves you gasping for air can affect how your brain functions:

“When you have high exertion — meaning you are running flat-out in a race — you’re not going to be able to solve problems or think as well as when you are engaged in moderate exercise,” said Karen Postal, an instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School and the president of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology.

So you can choose your workout based on whether you want to spend time thinking something through or whether you just want your brain to shut up for a little while. Read more at the link below about the effects of exercise on the brain.

If You Run Fast Enough You Can Shut Your Mind up for a Little While [Science of Us]


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