Lift Weights, Improve Your Memory

A new study conducted by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology found that an intense workout of as little as 20 minutes can enhance episodic memory (long-term memory), by about 10 percent in healthy young adults. Existing studies have demonstrated that months of aerobic exercise such as running can improve memory, but the current study had participants lift weights just one time, two days before testing them. The researchers had participants study events just before the exercise, rather than afterwards. They did because prior research suggests that the period after learning is when the stress caused by exercise is most likely to benefit memory. “Our study indicates that people don’t have to dedicate large amounts of time to give their brain a boost,” said the graduate student who led the research. And although the study used weight exercise, the lead researcher noted that resistance activities such as squats or knee bends would likely produce the same results. To read more about this study, click here.