Exercise after learning helps retain information

Written by Emily Lunardo
Published on

Exercise after learning helps retain informationJust learned something new? Head out and exercise to help boost knowledge retention. The new, small study found that those who exercised after learning something knew had better knowledge retention compared to those who did not. What’s important to keep in mind though is for maximum retention you only have a specific time frame.

The study included 72 people who learned a series of picture-location associations. The participants were then assigned to one of three groups: exercising immediately after the learning session, exercising four hours after learning, and not exercising at all.

The workout involved 35 minutes of interval training on a bike with the intensity of up to 80 percent of the participant’s maximum heart rate.
The participants returned two days later to test how much they had learned and all were scanned on an MRI.

Those who exercised four hours after learning had the greatest retention compared to those in other groups.

Researcher Guillen Fernandez said, “[Our findings show] that we can improve memory consolidation by doing sports after learning. Our results suggest that appropriately timed physical exercise can improve long-term memory and highlight the potential of exercise as an intervention in educational and clinical settings.”

Also, read Bel Marra Health’s article: 15 minutes of exercise can extend life.


Sources:
http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)30465-1


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On any matter relating to your health or well-being, please check with an appropriate health professional. No statement herein is to be construed as a diagnosis, treatment, preventative, or cure for any disease, disorder or abnormal physical state. The statements herein have not been evaluated by the Foods and Drugs Administration or Health Canada. Dr. Marchione and the doctors on the Bel Marra Health Editorial Team are compensated by Bel Marra Health for their work in creating content, consulting along with formulating and endorsing products.

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