Page 10 - RPA May 2020

8 WHAT’S TRENDING
MIX UP THE
TEMPO
FOR A GOOD WORKOUT
By Margaret Mielczarek.
W hat’s the perfect workout? Science may have come up with the answer.
A new study from the University of South Australia (UniSA), published in the Journal of
Science and Medicine in Sport, has found that the exercise regime that gives the heart and brain the best workout is either high-intensity interval training or longer, continuous bouts of moderate-intensity exercise.
Training at full speed without mixing up the tempo with low-intensity activity may elevate cortisol (a stress hormone), blocking the positive effects of exercise, the researchers say.
The study involved 128 participants whose brains were monitored after a single bout of aerobic activity on a treadmill and stationary bike, ranging from low-intensity continuous exercise to high-intensity interval exercise.
Participants’ heart rate was also measured and varied between 50 and 90 per cent of their maximum safe rate.
Twenty minutes of interval training or 25 minutes of continuous, moderate aerobic exercise had the greatest effect on neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to rewire or modify its neural connections – contrasting with all-out efforts, which typically increase cortisol levels and block the neuroplastic responses.
Interval training, according to the study, may allow a sweet spot for cortisol rates to return to normal.
“We already know that engaging in regular aerobic exercise is good for the brain, improving memory, attention and learning,” UniSA Senior Research Fellow Dr Ashleigh Smith said.
“However, we need to understand why it’s so beneficial and what the best exercise, intensity and duration is.”
UniSA Research Assistant Maddison Mellow added: “Long-term studies demonstrate that people who engage in regular exercise show greater neural connectivity compared with those who are sedentary.
“Research also shows that exercising before learning a new motor skill can help a person learn it much faster.”
Ms Mellow says neuroplasticity, or how elastic the brain is, drives the brain’s development from infancy to adulthood, helping with learning new skills, forming memories and recovering from brain injuries or stroke.
So, as Dr Smith puts it, “the more elastic the brain” the better – something that exercise at the appropriate intensity and duration can help with.
“What makes the brain special is that, unlike a computer,
it processes sensory and motor signals in parallel,” she said.
“It has many neural pathways that can replicate another’s function, so that if the brain is damaged it can re-route signals along a different pathway. The more elastic the brain, the easier this is.”
For the full study, visit: scimex.org/newsfeed/want-a-more- elastic-brain-try-mixing-up-your-workout/multimedia/Aerobic- exercise-and-neuroplasticity.pdf.
“Research also shows that exercising before
learning a new motor skill can help a person
learn it much faster.”
RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • MAR 2020