Exercise Helps Your Brain!

A New York Times OpEd piece by Sandra Aamoot and Sam Wang (authors of "Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys but Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life") describes how exercise will maintain brain function better than those crossword puzzles or sudoku puzzles. They state that physical exercise maintains "executive functioning" and thus leads to improved brain functioning. It also encourages the release of growth factors, which lead to increased connections between neurons and the growth of neurons in the hippocampus.