How do strong muscles keep your brain healthy?

When your muscles contract, they release myokines into the bloodstream. They regulate the responses to the brain. Myokines have the ability to change moods. The myokine messengers help determine beneficial responses in the brain, and exercise further stimulates what scientists call muscle-brain "cross talk." Learning and memory can be boosted by the formation of new neuron and increased synaptic plasticity.

Strong muscles are needed for a healthy brain.

A small amount of exercise stimulates a process that tells the muscles to grow. Damage is sustained through strain and stress and then the muscles are repaired by increasing in size and mass. Each series of small breakdowns allow for regrowth and regeneration. The signal sent by exercise decreases as we get older. It is possible for older people to maintain muscle mass, even though it is more difficult than younger people.

Moderate exercise increases metabolism in brain regions that are important for learning and memory. The brain has been found to respond to physical activity differently than other parts of the body. The hippocampus, a brain structure that plays a major role in learning and memory, shrinks in adulthood, which can lead to an increased risk for dementia. Exercise training has been shown to increase the size of the hippocampus, which protects against age-related loss and improves spatial memory.