Infrared heat is good for the brain. Exercise is good for the brain. Why not benefit from both at the same time!?
A 2013 Huffington Post article asserts that 20 minutes of yoga is good for the brain. The article published on huffingtonpost.com cites from a study published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health which included 30 female college students who performed 20 minutes of yoga and then 20 minutes of exercise on a treadmill. Participants in the study took cognitive tests after the yoga session and again after the treadmill session. Results showed higher scores for tests following the yoga sessions (1).
Isometric exercise that places emphasis on proper breathing and the connection of physical performance and mental awareness may produce similar brain enhancing results. HOTWORX provides multiple hot isometric routines that guide customers through mind-breath-body workouts for heightened mental awareness.
An infrared sauna environment can stimulate the brain as well. According to best selling wellness author Dr. Joseph Mercola, sauna bathing promotes brain health. Dr. Mercola cites research from Finland which found that those who use a sauna four to seven times per week for at least 15 minutes per session had a 66% lower risk for developing dementia and a 65% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s. He points to other research that “has shown sauna use increases levels of norepinephrine, a stress hormone that increases focus and attention, as well as prolactin, which may promote myelin growth, helping your brain to function faster and repair nerve cell damage” (2). Myelin is the insulating sheath around nerve fibers that increases impulse speed.
Mercola also explains that researchers have found a link between heat exposure and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which activates brain stem cells to convert into new neurons. BDNF also triggers numerous other chemicals that promote neural health.
According to another study, Dr. Mercola shows how exercising in heat increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) more so than training in lower temperatures indicating that sauna workouts could be beneficial to the brain.
Researchers “found that exercising in heat increased the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, which is thought to stimulate cerebral output of BDNF.”
Power up your brain with hot exercise!
(1) https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/10/20-minutes-yoga-brain_n_3404766.html(2) https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/02/09/benefits-of-sauna-therapy.aspx
