So you thought gym buffs were all brawn and no brains? Well, think again, and if you actually train like they do, you might just be able to think again, and again, and again. Science tells us that muscle-heads might be cleverer than you previously thought, as yet another study surfaces this month celebrating the positive effects of exercise on the brain.

However you perceive the human mind and its relation to the physical body, we now know that in terms of pure physiology, a fitter body is most certainly a good indicator of a fitter brain. A fitter brain in turn means we are more capable of remembering, communicating and reasoning. So if you ever felt that ditching the gym in favour of the library was the best strategy for the development of a high-performance brain, your strategy might need a little tweaking.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, scientists at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in the US were able to detect specific physiological changes in the brain in response to exercise. Brain scans were taken before and after the study intervention, clearly showing an increase in grey matter volume following the implementation of a structured exercise programme.

The research participants were adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MCI is characterised by difficulties in remembering, communicating and reasoning that exceed the normal ageing process in terms of severity, but are not sufficient to be considered indicative of the more serious condition, dementia. Dementia has occupied an unfortunately prominent place in international headlines of late, as it’s incidence continues to rise across the Western world.

One of the groups in the study were guided through a cardiovascular training programme based on the use of treadmills, cross-trainers and stationary bikes, four times per week, for a total of six months. Another group also exercised, but performed only stretching exercises. The groups were tested using MRI before and after the respective exercise interventions. The results showed that the volume of most areas of the cerebral cortex had increased in volume after just six months of exercise, most significantly in the group that incorporated the treadmill, cross-trainer, and bike into their routine.

The cerebral cortex is the outer layer of the brain known as the ‘grey matter’ and most closely associated with higher cognitive function in humans. The various areas of the cerebral cortex are divided into lobes and responsible for a range of roles including sensory perception, mathematical and logical reasoning, personality traits, self-awareness and memory. The areas of the cerebral cortex researchers were particularly interested in were the temporal lobes, which are most closely associated with memory processing and storage. Surprisingly, these areas showed a distinct increase in size in the group that performed cardiovascular exercise.

Scientists now suspect that exercise can actually reverse some of the effects of MCI, which is great news when considering the correlation that exists between MCI and the onset of more devastating conditions like Alzheimer’s.

We’ve known for some time that increased physical activity and healthy eating can delay the progression of the disease, and these latest findings add yet another feather in the cap of exercise professionals promoting the numerous benefits of exercise whatever your age, gender or disposition.

Even if you aren’t particularly concerned about the possible onset of mental illness, exercise appears to enhance cognitive function in apparently healthy individuals too. So if your work or studies require a particularly high dosage of ingenuity and creativity, you might want to factor in some cardiovascular training to your weekly schedule for this reason alone. Think of it as training muscles like any other, only your target muscle is the brain.

To exploit the full benefit of cardiovascular exercise, perform any movement that helps raise your heart rate to approximately 70 per cent of your maximum heart rate. There are plenty of online calculators that can help you calculate this based on your age and additional factors, depending on the formula you use. To keep things simple, however, 70 per cent of maximum heart rate is going to be the intensity at which you can just about manage to maintain a conversation. If you cannot talk, it’s too hard, if you can talk but cannot sing, you’re just about right.

Once you’ve found the right intensity, don’t settle for one movement only, vary it often. Mix in activities like walking or jogging, walking uphill, climbing stairs, cycling, dancing, aerobics or easy circuit training using basic bodyweight exercises. The more you vary, the better the results as you prevent specific muscles from becoming overly accustomed to any single type of movement.

So if you’re still wrestling with that final chapter of your dissertation or struggling with the finishing touches on that innovative new design, think of a good workout not as a distraction but as a bona fide part of an effective solution. Keep it going and you’ll find your results can be much further reaching. Previous research has already shown that physical activity performed throughout one’s younger years can boost cognitive function well into middle age, and that activity through middle-age similarly wards off dementia later in life. For even better results, eat less sweets and junk food than you are eating right now and do your best to stop letting stress get the better of you.

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