Why You Should Exercise Before School, According to Science

Before you sit down to study or start working on a big project, you might consider hitting the gym or taking a brisk walk. In addition to being good for your overall health, research also shows that it can actually help with cognition. And, say, when graduation week is approaching or a work deadline is approaching, anything that can give you a boost to your brain is most likely welcome.

What Research Says

There is no shortage of decades of solid, peer-reviewed research on the effects of exercise on cognition. The exact reasons that exercise helps you think are not fully understood, but a 2018 review by Frontiers in Psychology discusses evidence that it can increase blood flow to the brain, boost certain neurotransmitters, and increase your sense of control and self-esteem.

Another 2013 review notes that “more active” people are better able to pay attention to their surroundings and process information faster. Exercise can even permanently change our brains; a 2018 review concluded that “chronic aerobic exercise is associated with strong structural and functional neuroplastic changes, with improved cognitive function.”

What exercises work best?

The research focuses on exercise in all forms, but it’s really focused on intense aerobic exercise, or types of exercise where you move a lot and get your heart rate up. According to Frontiers researchers, a “single bout” of such movement is associated with improved cognitive performance.

So, before you sit down to study, plan your week, or talk to your boss about something important, consider swimming, biking, jogging, running, elliptical jumping, or a brisk walk around the block. some serious cardio here, even if it’s as simple as cycling to work or a lunch break at the gym. ( Here’s our guide to how much exercise you need per week overall.)

Research aside, this works for me as well. I returned to school this year and found that at 30 years of age it is much harder for me to focus on a lesson or study than at 19 years old. I teach a club at a sports center. I don’t train before other classes – I’m walking straight from work – and I definitely feel less energized than in class after my 45 minutes of fast cycling. Whether it’s due to “epigenetic mechanisms” or the good old fact that I spend some time focusing on my health, working on tunes and getting an endorphin rush is irrelevant to me; I just know it works, so I started going to the gym before doing homework and on non-workout days.