If you’ve been putting off starting up that new exercise regime or you’ve noticed you’re just not as active as you used to be, now is the time to get back out there. Exercise isn’t just good for releasing endorphins, helping with sleep and toning those thighs. It also has a huge effect on your brain and is the single best thing you can do for your brain if you want to improve your mood, memory and learning abilities.

But how and why does exercise have such a positive effect on your brain. Here are just five ways you need to ditch those excuses and get moving.

• Exercise increases your heart rate, pumping more oxygen rich blood to the brain, and, thereby improving memory formation in healthy young adults, as well as improving reaction time. Better yet, the physical activity doesn’t have to be gruelling to increase blood flow. Mild activity like a leisurely walk may help to increase blood flow, fend off memory loss and keep skills like vocabulary retrieval strong.
• Exercise can aid the release of several hormones, including growth factors, all of which help to provide a nourishing environment for the growth of brain cells. This in turn boosts your learning capacity. Research shows exercise increased growth factors in the brain - making it easier for the brain to increase plasticity and grow new neuronal connections.
• Exercise encourages the same antidepressant-like effects associated with "runner's high". Studies have shown the antidepressant effect of running was also associated with more cell growth in the hippocampus, an area of the brain responsible for learning and memory.
• Exercise increases levels of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, three brain-soothing chemicals which ease tension and stress. Researchers claim this benefit happens within as little as 30 minutes of jumping on that treadmill or biking in the park.
• Exercise not only reduces stress, it may reverse the toll stress takes on the aging process by intervening on a cellular level. After stressed-out study participants exercised an average of 45 minutes a day over a three-day period, their cells showed fewer signs of aging than inactive study participants’ cells.

In a nutshell, working out keeps you younger!

Try to incorporate the following exercises in your routine for a well-rounded fitness program.