Health

8 surprising ways exercise affects your brain

By Kevin Loria and Skye Gould
Skye Gould/Business Insider
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Exercise is clearly good for our bodies — it can lead to a lower resting heart rate, decreased risk of disease, improved endurance, and much more.

But physical activity offers huge mental and psychological benefits as well. In fact, working out is pretty much the closest thing we have to a wonder drug. 

Here are a few of the research-backed benefits that exercise has for your mind.

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Kevin Loria
Kevin Loria
Kevin was a correspondent covering science and health for Business Insider. He covered climate and the environment, infectious disease, the limits of human performance, and more.  He wrote four stories for Business Insider's "Saving our World" series, covering the steps humanity will have to take to adapt to the effects of climate change, the ways rising seas will affect cities like Miami, how scientists are devising ways to bring coral reefs back to life, and potential last-ditch geoengineering efforts. He covered ways that fasting could potentially slow aging and fight disease. He wrote a Tech Insider feature profiling a scientist who thinks he could have a cure for all viruses: This man's potentially huge medical breakthrough can't get funding, so he's trying something desperate. He also wrote a launch feature for Tech Insider on the ways humans are using new genetic editing tools to reshape our world: The age of genetically engineered animals has arrived. At Business Insider, he wrote one of the first stories investigating the blood-testing startup Theranos: Scientists are skeptical about the secret blood test that has made Elizabeth Holmes a billionaire. Before Business Insider, he studied health and science writing at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. Before that, he earned a B.A. in political science and philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. He spent several years traveling and has written for Condé Nast Traveler, The Christian Science Monitor, and other publications.
Skye Gould
Skye Gould
Skye was the Design Director for Business Insider and Insider. She led the Graphics and Photo teams in producing all graphics, data visualizations, story art, photography, and special projects for the newsroom.
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