Exercise increases flexibility in your muscles and in your brain

Flexibility is a primary objective in physical therapy, because pain-free movement is so essential to well-being. And as psychiatric professionals have found, flexibility in the brain is also part of positive mental health.

Earlier this month, I did the “Running of the Leprechauns” 5K in Greensboro. There may have been 100 yards that were flat, otherwise it was all up or downhill. So, it felt great that I was able to cover the strenuous route in a decent time.

Running regularly has noticeably improved my flexibility in all the muscle groups you’d expect. And it’s also improved the flexibility in the part of my brain that’s key to feeling good emotionally: the hippocampus.

Writing in Psychology Today, Sarah Gingell, Ph.D., explains:

“Of critical importance for mental health is the hippocampus—an area of the brain involved in memory, emotion regulation, and learning. Studies in other animals show convincingly that exercise leads to the creation of new hippocampal neurons (neurogenesis), with preliminary evidence suggesting this is also true in humans.  

“Evidence is accumulating that many mental health conditions are associated with reduced neurogenesis in the hippocampus. The evidence is particularly strong for depression. Interestingly, many anti-depressants—that were once thought to work through their effects on the serotonin system—are now known to increase neurogenesis in the hippocampus.”

Running is a brain workout

I could tell running was strengthening my calves. I wasn’t necessarily aware that it was creating helpful new neurons in my brain.

Neurogenesis makes my brain more flexible and that makes me feel less anxiety and depression. It’s a free non-prescription anti-depressant. And it comes without the negative side effects of pharmaceuticals.

“Neurogenesis allows a healthy level of flexibility in the use of existing memories, and in the flexible processing of new information,” writes Ginell.

With less neurogenesis, the resulting “cognitive inflexibility” can cause poor mental health. The brain is less able to accept new information and imagine new solutions and good outcomes. This makes it harder to believe things will get better.

Everybody’s heard of the “runner’s high.” I know I’ve felt it on my runs. But the effect of neurogenesis goes beyond the run itself. A more flexible brain makes you feel better when you’re doing everything else in your life!