How exercise strengthens your brain and reverses ageing

• Regular exercise can improve mood and the brain’s ability to function including coping with stress

• Exercise causes positive changes in the brain, which prepare it to rewire disturbing neural pathways imprinted in childhood

• Simple exercise guidelines can improve brain health and function.

It’s been known for years that regular exercise improves depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, troubled sleep, fatigue, and other symptoms related to stress. So exercise is particularly beneficial for survivors of adverse childhood experiences, who frequently struggle with symptoms of this nature.

In recent years, we’ve learned how exercise strengthens the brain, preparing it to rewire—to form new neural pathways that will overwrite the distressing neural pathways that are formed in the early years, keeping the brain on high alert.

It’s all about the master molecules

Exercise increases the master molecules in the brain, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Without exercise, these molecules tend to decrease with stress and ageing. Collectively, the master molecules: