8 ms·

Working out makes you more cognitively sharp because it increases the rate of fluid transfer throughout your body and increases metabolism. Ancillary effects of

by aliqot 4y ago

Working out makes you more cognitively sharp because it increases the rate of fluid transfer throughout your body and increases metabolism. Ancillary effects of this are calmness, endorphins, and regulated sleep. There I said it, no magic science required. You bring balance in, you get balance out. This ain't the type of cut throat science most of you on HN expect, but sometimes the simple explanation is the one.

b33j0r 4y ago
I believe most of this, except that no one I know who works out a lot is calm. If anything, I’m always looking around for empty syringes. They act like they are gonna climb a mountain then come back and try to make me do Beachbody and chalean extreme, then yell at me about what I eat ;) Not saying exercise is bad, but I do not associate it with calmness. (I’m a healthy dude, you are not hearing this from someone 50 lbs overweight)
- trashface 4y ago
  Maybe the non-calm exercisers are also loading up on stimulants.
- bogota 4y ago
  Your comment was a wild ride. First asserting people who work out aren’t calm and then going into steroid use.
  - b33j0r 4y ago
    Letting you in. It was a joke about people coming at you and the contrast with health. I am a writer, it was intentional. Hope the wild ride was enjoyable!
- ramraj07 4y ago
  Working out doesn’t by itself make you Albert Einstein or Dalai Lama. It just makes you better than you were before, at least according to these studies. One could speculate why folks who are already prone to exercising aren’t necessarily calm folks but that’s just speculation.
- colechristensen 4y ago
  A lot of gym people really do seem to be addicts and/or have at least mild eating disorders or significant body image issues. Exercise in general is good so it’s not necessarily framed this way. There is a lot of overlap between behaviors of people I’ve known with substance use problems and people who really like exercise. It’s just that for example drinking to excess on a regular basis has quite a few more drawbacks than a gym obsession.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - o_1 4y ago
    this is a social behavior not shared with people who aren't on social media or exercise in private gyms.
- technovader 4y ago
  This is plain nuts. Regular people workout as well, not just steroid junkies.
  - noduerme 4y ago
    But do you really work out?
- KronisLV 4y ago
  > I believe most of this, except that no one I know who works out a lot is calm. Back when I tried exercising a lot more for a bit, I actually experienced way more calmness in my life. A part of that might have been that a lot of physical exhaustion brought about unparalleled ease of falling asleep and actually improved the quality of the rest I got. Another part might have been the fact that for a while it felt like the "baseline" of how much energy I had slightly increased. It was easier to find motivation to do things and I didn't need to rely upon discipline so much as I do now, a zen sort of feeling instead of (as much) procrastination doom and fidgety thoughts. One might also talk of some minute cardiovascular/metabolism improvements as well. Maybe I should take up more exercise again, it's been a few months and even though I hate actually exercising the benefits, even if relatively minor, are hard to argue against. Just need to find a podcast or something of that sort to keep myself busy and make the experience less mundane. Though exercise alone won't have any really significant effects, you also need to eat right, take care of yourself in other ways (e.g. sleep schedule, mental state, any addictions or unhealthy habits), so there are a lot of factors to consider. Disclaimer: these are my subjective and anecdotal experiences.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- xeromal 4y ago
  Weight is only a portion of good health.
- aesclepius 4y ago
  You're conflating two issues. One, the benefit of exercise on mental health, and two, the side effects of the gym lifestyle and culture.
- mmmpop 4y ago
User23 4y ago
Strenuous resistance exercise also powerfully stimulates the central nervous system. It’s conceivable that the adaptations for better recruiting motor units might spill over.
agumonkey 4y ago
Even before physiological changes, there's something strange in moving. 200m from my house, my brain starts to have different ideas. I cannot keep from thinking that our brain and our legs are connected neurologically. They tap on the same space exploration abstractions.
- aliqot 4y ago
  > Even before physiological changes, there's something strange in moving. 200m from my house, my brain starts to have different ideas. > I cannot keep from thinking that our brain and our legs are connected neurologically. They tap on the same space exploration abstractions. Absolutely. Something happens during a bike marathon where my body and brain are eventually independent of my thoughts and I'm moving on autopilot with mild tunnel vision while thinking about complex thoughts, old memories, things I could have handled better. I can only attribute it to persistent eustress and the post-metabolic state of endorphin saturation combined with adrenaline.
  - qorrect 4y ago
    > brain are eventually independent of my thoughts Let's name it. The aliqot state. Or getting to Aliqot.
    - owroomexorcist 4y ago
      Some magick belief systems call this state "gnosis".
    - aliqot 4y ago
      hahaha I like it :D
  - switchbak 4y ago
    That's exactly the state I get into on a long mountain bike ride. Right before I have a crash! Which is to say some sports have a way of forcing you back into the present moment. It can actually be a good thing for those whose minds tend to wander.
brianpan 4y ago
How about working out makes you cognitively sharp because it requires COGNITION? It's not the kind of "thinking" we normally consider but your brain is working to direct your body. Basketball is my favorite way to exercise and there is a lot of analysis of how to get my body to the right places to achieve a goal. Or how to deceive a defender and manipulate their body to the wrong place. Or simple shot mechanics or how to move my eyes so I don't lose awareness of other players. I started dance because it's such a different way of moving my body that I never tried before. Figuring out how to do something and improve (even physically) takes strategizing.
- jasfi 4y ago
  This is a very good answer. Even walking on a treadmill requires cognition you typically take for granted. There are other exercises that are more obviously related to cognition such as mental math and crosswords, but physical exercise is likely in the same league.
- brookst 4y ago
  Yep. I find climbing 100% mentally absorbing, and the problems and solutions are so far from my day job’s domain that I believe it helps with mental adaptability.
- googlryas 4y ago
  Running doesn't require much cognition (imho), my body is on auto pilot and I forget time has passed - but I still feel like I get the beneficial effects from doing it.
  - boole1854 4y ago
    In my experience, the cognitive load depends on the speed at which you're running. Jogging at a leisurely pace, I don't need to consciously think about the jogging process at all and my mind is free to think about the books I have been reading lately, or to listen to an information-dense podcast, or to plan out the rest of my week. But that all changes if I switch to running at near my maximum speed for the distance I'm going to run. Then understanding a podcast becomes nearly impossible and/or it interferes with the running. Indeed, having any internal, verbal 'train of thought' is difficult, other than my internal voice metronomically saying 'left, right, left, right' in time with my leg movements.
jader201 4y ago
Is this a thing where it makes a big difference even if you’re typically sedentary, or you have to be pretty active over a long period (e.g. years/decades) to make a real difference?
- whichfawkes 4y ago
  For me, the main benefit of exercise is immediate. However - the magnitude of the immediate positive effect is somewhat related to the intensity/duration of the exercise that I can tolerate. So I would say something like "A 5k run would make anybody above a certain fitness level feel pretty good". Like, in a way that you'd notice immediately during, and after. For me, there's runners' high and good body-chemicals and a sharp mind the rest of the day. There's not as much of the good stuff if it's like a real strain to run that far. There's an optimal level of physical stress. Taking a sedentary person and chasing them through a 5k run with an electric cattle prod them is not going to help them feel good. Similarly, someone who regularly runs marathons is not going to notice much of an effect from a short walk at a slow pace. How to balance this out (how much exercise do you need to feel good) is a very individual thing. Practically speaking, you just have to try stuff and get to know your body. I will say though that marked changes in physical condition can occur over more like weeks than decades. So if you go for a walk and think "well that was a little bit nice, but not worth taking an hour to do", maybe invest the time to build up to something more intense like cycling or jogging, because, as anyone who exercises intentionally will tell you, it seems to be worth it once you find out what's right for you.
smt88 4y ago
The endorphin thing is a myth: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-truth-behind-runners-high-and-other-mental-benefits-of-running https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-preventi... Nothing in human biology is simple.
mythhouse 4y ago
How is it all the computer nerds in movies and in real life are in terrible shape and prbly never workout.
- markwkw 4y ago
  This is true only if your definition of “computer nerd” includes terrible shape and never working out.
  - LouisSayers 4y ago
    I don't know... looking back at my career software engineers I've worked with have on a whole been overweight or skinny fat. Honestly can't remember chatting to any of them about the gym - there's been a couple into biking or swimming but only really a handful that seemed into the gym or into doing sports of some kind. As a software engineer, I would classify myself as a computer nerd, but honestly feel a bit out of place with a lot of ppl that work in the industry. I don't watch Dr Who or Star Trek, don't read fiction, and I enjoy extreme sports, martial arts etc. It can feel like a strange dynamic, and I can see how thinking of a "computer nerd" brings up an image of Bill Gates or Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons for most people.
    - terribleperson 4y ago
      Martial arts fits into a particular (now rather outdated) hacker stereotype that can be seen in The Jargon File.
- googlryas 4y ago
  Because most stories are told through stereotypes, not through deep diving into every character's background and motivations. James Bond wouldn't be as fun if you got the back story about the Russkies he callously snapped the neck of and saw that they only took what he thought was a low key security job because he needed to pay for cancer treatment for his babushka.

by aliqot 4y ago

b33j0r 4y ago

I believe most of this, except that no one I know who works out a lot is calm. If anything, I’m always looking around for empty syringes. They act like they are gonna climb a mountain then come back and try to make me do Beachbody and chalean extreme, then yell at me about what I eat ;) Not saying exercise is bad, but I do not associate it with calmness. (I’m a healthy dude, you are not hearing this from someone 50 lbs overweight)

trashface 4y ago
Maybe the non-calm exercisers are also loading up on stimulants.
bogota 4y ago
Your comment was a wild ride. First asserting people who work out aren’t calm and then going into steroid use.
- b33j0r 4y ago
  Letting you in. It was a joke about people coming at you and the contrast with health. I am a writer, it was intentional. Hope the wild ride was enjoyable!
ramraj07 4y ago
Working out doesn’t by itself make you Albert Einstein or Dalai Lama. It just makes you better than you were before, at least according to these studies. One could speculate why folks who are already prone to exercising aren’t necessarily calm folks but that’s just speculation.
colechristensen 4y ago
A lot of gym people really do seem to be addicts and/or have at least mild eating disorders or significant body image issues. Exercise in general is good so it’s not necessarily framed this way. There is a lot of overlap between behaviors of people I’ve known with substance use problems and people who really like exercise. It’s just that for example drinking to excess on a regular basis has quite a few more drawbacks than a gym obsession.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- o_1 4y ago
  this is a social behavior not shared with people who aren't on social media or exercise in private gyms.
technovader 4y ago
This is plain nuts. Regular people workout as well, not just steroid junkies.
- noduerme 4y ago
  But do you really work out?
KronisLV 4y ago
> I believe most of this, except that no one I know who works out a lot is calm. Back when I tried exercising a lot more for a bit, I actually experienced way more calmness in my life. A part of that might have been that a lot of physical exhaustion brought about unparalleled ease of falling asleep and actually improved the quality of the rest I got. Another part might have been the fact that for a while it felt like the "baseline" of how much energy I had slightly increased. It was easier to find motivation to do things and I didn't need to rely upon discipline so much as I do now, a zen sort of feeling instead of (as much) procrastination doom and fidgety thoughts. One might also talk of some minute cardiovascular/metabolism improvements as well. Maybe I should take up more exercise again, it's been a few months and even though I hate actually exercising the benefits, even if relatively minor, are hard to argue against. Just need to find a podcast or something of that sort to keep myself busy and make the experience less mundane. Though exercise alone won't have any really significant effects, you also need to eat right, take care of yourself in other ways (e.g. sleep schedule, mental state, any addictions or unhealthy habits), so there are a lot of factors to consider. Disclaimer: these are my subjective and anecdotal experiences.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
xeromal 4y ago
Weight is only a portion of good health.
aesclepius 4y ago
You're conflating two issues. One, the benefit of exercise on mental health, and two, the side effects of the gym lifestyle and culture.
mmmpop 4y ago

User23 4y ago

Strenuous resistance exercise also powerfully stimulates the central nervous system. It’s conceivable that the adaptations for better recruiting motor units might spill over.

agumonkey 4y ago

Even before physiological changes, there's something strange in moving. 200m from my house, my brain starts to have different ideas. I cannot keep from thinking that our brain and our legs are connected neurologically. They tap on the same space exploration abstractions.

aliqot 4y ago
> Even before physiological changes, there's something strange in moving. 200m from my house, my brain starts to have different ideas. > I cannot keep from thinking that our brain and our legs are connected neurologically. They tap on the same space exploration abstractions. Absolutely. Something happens during a bike marathon where my body and brain are eventually independent of my thoughts and I'm moving on autopilot with mild tunnel vision while thinking about complex thoughts, old memories, things I could have handled better. I can only attribute it to persistent eustress and the post-metabolic state of endorphin saturation combined with adrenaline.
- qorrect 4y ago
  > brain are eventually independent of my thoughts Let's name it. The aliqot state. Or getting to Aliqot.
  - owroomexorcist 4y ago
    Some magick belief systems call this state "gnosis".
  - aliqot 4y ago
    hahaha I like it :D
- switchbak 4y ago
  That's exactly the state I get into on a long mountain bike ride. Right before I have a crash! Which is to say some sports have a way of forcing you back into the present moment. It can actually be a good thing for those whose minds tend to wander.

brianpan 4y ago

How about working out makes you cognitively sharp because it requires COGNITION? It's not the kind of "thinking" we normally consider but your brain is working to direct your body. Basketball is my favorite way to exercise and there is a lot of analysis of how to get my body to the right places to achieve a goal. Or how to deceive a defender and manipulate their body to the wrong place. Or simple shot mechanics or how to move my eyes so I don't lose awareness of other players. I started dance because it's such a different way of moving my body that I never tried before. Figuring out how to do something and improve (even physically) takes strategizing.

jasfi 4y ago
This is a very good answer. Even walking on a treadmill requires cognition you typically take for granted. There are other exercises that are more obviously related to cognition such as mental math and crosswords, but physical exercise is likely in the same league.
brookst 4y ago
Yep. I find climbing 100% mentally absorbing, and the problems and solutions are so far from my day job’s domain that I believe it helps with mental adaptability.
googlryas 4y ago
Running doesn't require much cognition (imho), my body is on auto pilot and I forget time has passed - but I still feel like I get the beneficial effects from doing it.
- boole1854 4y ago
  In my experience, the cognitive load depends on the speed at which you're running. Jogging at a leisurely pace, I don't need to consciously think about the jogging process at all and my mind is free to think about the books I have been reading lately, or to listen to an information-dense podcast, or to plan out the rest of my week. But that all changes if I switch to running at near my maximum speed for the distance I'm going to run. Then understanding a podcast becomes nearly impossible and/or it interferes with the running. Indeed, having any internal, verbal 'train of thought' is difficult, other than my internal voice metronomically saying 'left, right, left, right' in time with my leg movements.

jader201 4y ago

Is this a thing where it makes a big difference even if you’re typically sedentary, or you have to be pretty active over a long period (e.g. years/decades) to make a real difference?

whichfawkes 4y ago
For me, the main benefit of exercise is immediate. However - the magnitude of the immediate positive effect is somewhat related to the intensity/duration of the exercise that I can tolerate. So I would say something like "A 5k run would make anybody above a certain fitness level feel pretty good". Like, in a way that you'd notice immediately during, and after. For me, there's runners' high and good body-chemicals and a sharp mind the rest of the day. There's not as much of the good stuff if it's like a real strain to run that far. There's an optimal level of physical stress. Taking a sedentary person and chasing them through a 5k run with an electric cattle prod them is not going to help them feel good. Similarly, someone who regularly runs marathons is not going to notice much of an effect from a short walk at a slow pace. How to balance this out (how much exercise do you need to feel good) is a very individual thing. Practically speaking, you just have to try stuff and get to know your body. I will say though that marked changes in physical condition can occur over more like weeks than decades. So if you go for a walk and think "well that was a little bit nice, but not worth taking an hour to do", maybe invest the time to build up to something more intense like cycling or jogging, because, as anyone who exercises intentionally will tell you, it seems to be worth it once you find out what's right for you.

smt88 4y ago

The endorphin thing is a myth: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-truth-behind-runners-high-and-other-mental-benefits-of-running https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-preventi... Nothing in human biology is simple.

mythhouse 4y ago

How is it all the computer nerds in movies and in real life are in terrible shape and prbly never workout.

markwkw 4y ago
This is true only if your definition of “computer nerd” includes terrible shape and never working out.
- LouisSayers 4y ago
  I don't know... looking back at my career software engineers I've worked with have on a whole been overweight or skinny fat. Honestly can't remember chatting to any of them about the gym - there's been a couple into biking or swimming but only really a handful that seemed into the gym or into doing sports of some kind. As a software engineer, I would classify myself as a computer nerd, but honestly feel a bit out of place with a lot of ppl that work in the industry. I don't watch Dr Who or Star Trek, don't read fiction, and I enjoy extreme sports, martial arts etc. It can feel like a strange dynamic, and I can see how thinking of a "computer nerd" brings up an image of Bill Gates or Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons for most people.
  - terribleperson 4y ago
    Martial arts fits into a particular (now rather outdated) hacker stereotype that can be seen in The Jargon File.
googlryas 4y ago
Because most stories are told through stereotypes, not through deep diving into every character's background and motivations. James Bond wouldn't be as fun if you got the back story about the Russkies he callously snapped the neck of and saw that they only took what he thought was a low key security job because he needed to pay for cancer treatment for his babushka.