锻炼可以提升你的记忆力和思维能力Exercise can boost your memory and thinking skills

Exercise benefits health in so many ways. It preserves muscle strength; keeps your heart strong; maintains a healthy body weight; and staves off chronic diseases such as diabetes.

锻炼能在很多方面给健康带来好处。它能维持肌肉力量，强健心脏，保持健康的体重，还能帮你抵御像糖尿病这样的慢性疾病。

But exercise has brain benefits too. Many studies have suggested that the parts of the brain that control thinking and memory are larger in volume in people who exercise than in people who don’t.

但不仅如此，锻炼对大脑也有裨益。许多研究表明，那些坚持锻炼的人，其大脑中控制思维和记忆的区域，体积往往比不锻炼的人更大。

One finding is that engaging in a program of regular exercise of moderate intensity over six months or a year is associated with an increase in the volume of selected brain regions.

有一项研究发现，只要坚持半年或一年、保持中等强度的规律锻炼，就能让大脑特定区域的体积有所增加。

Exercise can also boost memory and thinking indirectly by improving mood and sleep, and by reducing stress and anxiety. Problems in these areas frequently cause or contribute to cognitive impairment.

此外，锻炼还能通过改善情绪和睡眠，以及缓解压力和焦虑，来间接提升你的记忆力和思维能力。毕竟，这些方面一旦出了问题，往往会直接导致或加剧认知功能障碍。

Which exercise is the best for the brain?

哪种锻炼对大脑最好?

Is one exercise better than another in terms of brain health? We don’t know the answer to this question, because almost all of the research so far has looked at one form of exercise: walking.

就大脑健康而言，某一种运动会比另一种更好吗？这个问题我们暂时还没有确切答案，因为迄今为止，几乎所有的研究都只盯准了一种运动方式：走路。

“But it’s likely that other forms of aerobic exercise that get your heart pumping might yield similar benefits,” explains Dr. Scott McGinnis, assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School.

“但很可能，其他能让你心跳加速的有氧运动，也能带来类似的好处，”哈佛大学医学院神经学助理教授斯科特·麦金尼斯（Scott McGinnis）博士解释道。

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that tai chi may enhance cognitive function in older adults, especially in executive function, which manages cognitive processes such as planning, working memory, attention, problem solving, and verbal reasoning.

发表在《美国老年医学会杂志》上的一项研究发现，太极拳可以改善老年人的认知功能，尤其是执行功能——这可是掌管着计划、工作记忆、注意力、解决问题以及语言推理等认知过程的”总指挥”。

“That may be because tai chi, a martial art that involves slow, focused movements, requires learning and memorizing new skills and movement patterns.

这可能是因为太极拳这种动作缓慢、讲究专注的武术，需要你不断去学习和记忆新的技巧与动作模式。

How to maximize the brain benefits of exercise

如何将锻炼的大脑收益最大化

Dr. McGinnis recommends establishing exercise as a habit, almost like taking a prescription medication. Aim for a goal of exercising at a moderate intensity — such as brisk walking — for 150 minutes per week.

麦金尼斯博士建议，要把锻炼变成一种习惯，就像按时吃处方药一样雷打不动。给自己定个目标：每周进行150分钟的中等强度锻炼——比如快走。

Start with a few minutes a day and increase the amount by five or 10 minutes every week until you reach your goal.

一开始可以每天只练几分钟，然后每周循序渐进地增加5到10分钟，直到达成你的目标。

And since several studies have shown that it takes about six months to start reaping the cognitive benefits of exercise, he reminds you to be patient as you look for the first results — and to continue exercising for life.

另外，既然多项研究都表明，锻炼对认知能力的提升大约需要半年才能见效，他提醒大家：在等待初步成果时，一定要多点耐心——并且，要把锻炼当成一辈子的事坚持下去。