Success in academics or professional pursuits often feels like a constant uphill battle. Many of us focus solely on cramming more study hours, tackling endless practice questions, or consuming productivity hacks, yet still struggle with mental fatigue and overwhelm. What if the key to unlocking better focus, sharper memory, and improved test performance wasn’t in your textbooks but in something as simple as moving your body? Physical exercise, long celebrated for its health benefits, is emerging as a powerful way to boost cognitive performance, helping you retain information, manage stress, and stay mentally sharp when it matters most.
Can exercise really improve memory and test performance? Yes, exercise can improve memory and test performance, and there’s solid science to back it up. Physical activity increases blood flow to the brain, delivering essential oxygen and nutrients to areas like the hippocampus, which is crucial for memory retention. Exercise also stimulates the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that strengthens neural pathways and makes learning easier. At the same time, it reduces cortisol, the stress hormone that can interfere with focus and recall, while boosting mood-enhancing endorphins for better mental clarity. Improved sleep—another benefit of regular exercise—further supports memory consolidation, giving your brain the reset it needs to function at its best.
In this blog post, you’ll learn how exercise impacts memory and focus, what research reveals about its brain-enhancing effects, and the best types of physical activity to maximize your study sessions and cognitive gains. You’ll also get practical strategies for fitting exercise into a busy study schedule, so you can build habits that strengthen your body and mind. Whether you’re studying for tests in school, preparing for a licensing exam like the MBLEx, or simply looking to enhance your mental performance, these insights will help you unlock your full potential.
The Brain-Body Connection: How Exercise Impacts Cognitive Function
The relationship between physical activity and brain health is inseparable. The brain relies heavily on the body’s physiological processes to function at its best, and exercise acts as a catalyst for optimizing these systems. When you move, you set off a chain reaction that benefits your brain directly, from boosting its energy supply to strengthening its neural connections. This partnership between physical activity and cognitive function is the foundation for why exercise is such a powerful tool for peak mental performance.
One of the most significant impacts of exercise is how it increases blood flow to the brain. During physical activity, your heart pumps harder, delivering oxygen and nutrients like glucose to areas like the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, which are essential for memory and decision-making. This enhanced circulation not only fuels neurons but also helps clear out toxins and metabolic waste, making the brain operate more efficiently. Additionally, exercise supports angiogenesis—the development of new blood vessels—which strengthens the brain’s vascular network and ensures long-term delivery of these critical resources.
The hippocampus is the central brain area for memory retention during learning. It plays a critical role in encoding, consolidating, and retrieving memories, particularly declarative memories (facts and events). The hippocampus is part of the limbic system and is essential for transferring information from short-term memory to long-term storage. It is also involved in spatial memory and navigation, making it fundamental for learning and retaining new information.
The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain located at the front of the frontal lobes, just behind the forehead. It is crucial for higher-order cognitive functions, including decision-making, problem-solving, and planning. The prefrontal cortex also regulates attention, impulse control, and emotional responses, playing a key role in executive functions that help manage complex behaviors and adapt to new situations. It connects extensively with other brain regions, integrating sensory input and memory to guide thoughtful actions. This area is essential for maintaining focus, organizing thoughts, and exhibiting self-control, making it central to goal-directed behavior.
Exercise also enhances the brain’s cellular efficiency. Physical activity stimulates mitochondrial function within neurons, improving their ability to generate energy and sustain their activity over time. This heightened energy production helps your brain stay sharp, focused, and resilient under cognitive demands. Beyond cellular health, exercise regulates stress by reducing cortisol levels, a hormone that can hinder memory and focus when elevated. Simultaneously, physical activity boosts mood-enhancing chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, which improve concentration and create an environment where learning thrives.
These physiological and biochemical processes reveal just how deeply the body supports the brain. Exercise is a key factor in maintaining and enhancing cognitive health. By ensuring the brain gets the oxygen, nutrients, and hormonal balance it needs, physical activity lays the groundwork for better memory, sharper focus, and more effective learning.
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Key Cognitive Benefits of Exercise
Exercise is not just about improving physical health—it has a direct and profound impact on your mental performance. By engaging in regular physical activity, you can unlock numerous cognitive benefits that enhance how you think, learn, and retain information. Here’s how exercise supports your brain:
- Improved Memory Retention: Exercise directly enhances your ability to store and recall information by fostering neurogenesis, or the growth of new brain cells, in the hippocampus. This region is central to both long-term and working memory. Regular aerobic activities, such as jogging or cycling, boost synaptic plasticity, making it easier for your brain to form and maintain connections. These processes not only improve your capacity for learning but also help with retaining complex concepts and details over time.
- Enhanced Focus and Attention: Physical activity increases the availability of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine, which are vital for sustained focus and attention. Exercise helps you concentrate more effectively, transition between tasks with ease, and minimize distractions. Cognitive flexibility, the ability to adapt to new information or solve problems quickly, also gets a significant boost, making it easier to tackle challenging academic or work-related tasks.
- Stress Reduction and Mood Regulation: Chronic stress can severely impact cognitive function, but exercise offers a powerful remedy. It reduces cortisol, a stress hormone that can damage memory and impede focus when levels are too high. Simultaneously, physical activity triggers the release of mood-enhancing chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins, which create a balanced, calm state of mind. This combination reduces anxiety, stabilizes emotions, and creates the ideal conditions for effective learning.
- Better Sleep for Memory Consolidation: One of the lesser-known benefits of exercise is its ability to improve sleep quality. Physical activity helps regulate your body’s internal clock, ensuring that you get deeper, more restorative rest. During sleep, the brain consolidates short-term memories into long-term ones, a process critical for retaining what you’ve learned. Regular exercise primes your body for better sleep, ensuring your brain gets the downtime it needs to process and store information effectively.
- Boosted Executive Function: Certain types of exercise, like resistance training or activities requiring strategic thinking, improve higher-order cognitive skills known as executive functions. These include planning, prioritizing, and decision-making—skills that are crucial for managing study schedules, organizing tasks, and meeting deadlines. By engaging in these activities, you enhance your ability to stay productive and focused under pressure.
- Increased Cognitive Resilience: Regular exercise strengthens the brain’s capacity to handle prolonged mental demands. By supporting mitochondrial efficiency within brain cells and reinforcing neural networks, physical activity builds resilience to cognitive fatigue. This means you’ll be better equipped to maintain mental clarity during long study sessions or high-stakes situations like the massage licensing exam.
- Sharper Emotional Regulation: Exercise helps regulate your emotional responses, which is particularly important when facing stressful or high-pressure scenarios like taking exams or dealing with difficult clients. This improved emotional stability not only boosts confidence but also allows for clearer, more rational thinking. Whether you’re preparing for an exam or delivering a presentation in school, the ability to stay composed can make a significant difference in performance.
Incorporating exercise into your daily routine provides a wide range of cognitive benefits, from enhanced memory to sharper focus and better emotional control. These improvements, supported by scientific research, highlight the critical role physical activity works in maintaining and optimizing brain health.
The Science Behind Exercise and Memory
The connection between physical activity and memory is grounded in biological mechanisms that shape the brain’s structure and function. A key player in this process is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that supports neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to rewire itself and form new connections. Exercise stimulates BDNF production in the hippocampus, a region critical for memory and learning. Higher levels of BDNF enhance neuron growth, survival, and synaptic function, improving the brain’s ability to encode, store, and retrieve information efficiently.
Another major effect of exercise is its role in neurogenesis, or the growth of new neurons, particularly in the hippocampus. This process is essential for memory formation and spatial awareness. Aerobic activities like running or swimming significantly boost neurogenesis, leading to measurable improvements in cognitive performance. Additionally, exercise enhances synaptic plasticity, strengthening the communication pathways between neurons. This improved connectivity directly impacts how well the brain processes, stores, and recalls information.
Physical activity also drives angiogenesis, the creation of new blood vessels in the brain. This expanded vascular network improves blood flow, delivering oxygen and glucose—essential energy sources—to neurons while removing waste products like carbon dioxide. These changes not only support healthy brain function but also increase resilience against cognitive decline. Enhanced circulation activates protective mechanisms within the brain, reducing the risk of cell damage over time.
On a cellular level, exercise improves the performance of mitochondria, the energy producers in cells, including neurons. Enhanced mitochondrial efficiency ensures that neurons have the energy they need to perform tasks associated with memory and learning. Physical activity also reduces oxidative stress and inflammation, which are major contributors to neuronal damage and memory impairments. By promoting cellular health and protecting neurons from degeneration, exercise helps maintain cognitive function over the long term.
Stress regulation is another crucial benefit of physical activity. Exercise lowers levels of cortisol, a hormone that, when elevated for extended periods, can damage the hippocampus and disrupt memory consolidation. At the same time, exercise increases the release of dopamine and serotonin, neurotransmitters associated with improved mood, attention, and emotional regulation. This combination creates an ideal mental state for learning, allowing the brain to function more effectively under pressure.
These interconnected biological processes illustrate why exercise is such a powerful tool for memory enhancement. By stimulating neurogenesis, boosting synaptic strength, and regulating stress hormones, physical activity optimizes brain health and builds the foundation for better cognitive performance throughout life.
Types of Exercise and Their Cognitive Benefits
Different forms of exercise contribute uniquely to mental health, making it important to choose activities that align with your goals. Whether you’re aiming to improve memory, sharpen decision-making, or reduce stress, the type of physical activity you engage in can target specific aspects of brain function. Here’s a closer look at how various exercises impact the mind:
Aerobic Exercise: Supporting Memory and Brain Growth
Aerobic activities such as running, swimming, or brisk walking are among the most effective for boosting memory. These exercises increase blood flow to the hippocampus, the brain region critical for forming and retaining new memories. The elevated levels of BDNF associated with aerobic activity promote neurogenesis and enhance synaptic plasticity. For massage therapy students or practitioners looking to improve long-term memory and sustain mental performance, aerobic workouts are a powerful tool.
Resistance Training: Building Cognitive Strength
Exercises like weightlifting, bodyweight movements, or resistance band workouts enhance not only physical strength but also executive functions—skills like planning, decision-making, and mental organization. The hormonal response to resistance training, including the release of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), supports neural adaptability and focus. Incorporating these activities into your routine can help you stay mentally sharp and better equipped to tackle complex problems.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Enhancing Focus and Adaptability
HIIT workouts involve alternating between high-intensity bursts of activity and short rest periods, making them efficient for both fitness and brain health. This type of training improves cognitive flexibility, or the brain’s ability to switch between tasks and adapt to new information. The surge of dopamine and other neurochemicals during HIIT also boosts concentration, making it an excellent choice for those with tight schedules who need to maximize both physical and mental results.
Mind-Body Exercises: Promoting Mental Calm and Clarity
Activities such as yoga, tai chi, and Pilates focus on connecting movement with mindful breathing and concentration. These exercises reduce levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, while fostering a state of relaxation that enhances emotional regulation and mental clarity. Incorporating centering exercises, which emphasize grounding and focus, can further enhance the benefits of these mind-body activities, making them particularly effective for managing anxiety and improving attention, offering a holistic way to balance physical exertion with mental stillness.
Combining Exercise Types for Maximum Benefit
While each form of exercise offers distinct advantages, combining them can provide comprehensive cognitive benefits. For example, pairing aerobic activities with resistance training can improve both memory and problem-solving skills, while integrating yoga or tai chi can reduce stress and enhance focus. This variety not only keeps your self-care routine engaging but ensures your brain reaps the full range of benefits from regular physical activity.
How to Integrate Exercise into Your Study Routine
Finding time for exercise during a demanding study schedule may seem challenging, but it’s entirely doable with the right approach. Incorporating physical activity into your routine not only supports your overall health but also enhances focus, memory, and cognitive endurance. The key is to create a plan that complements your academic goals without adding extra stress. Below are practical strategies to make exercise a regular and effective part of your MBLEx study plan.
1. Start with a Realistic Exercise Plan
Start by setting realistic goals to ensure consistency. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week, broken into manageable sessions if needed. A mix of aerobic exercises, strength training, and mind-body practices like yoga will deliver the most well-rounded benefits. For example, a brisk 15-minute walk before a study session can improve blood flow to the brain, enhancing your focus and learning efficiency.
2. Use Exercise to Complement Study Sessions
Exercise and study sessions can work hand-in-hand when timed strategically. Here’s how you can integrate them effectively:
- Before Study Sessions: Start with light physical activity, such as yoga stretches or a short jog, to wake up your brain and improve alertness. This warm-up is especially helpful for tasks that require deep focus or problem-solving.
- During Breaks: Use active breaks to refresh your mind. For instance, after 25-30 minutes of studying, take a 5-minute movement break (Pomodoro Technique)—do squats, walk around, or stretch. This not only fights fatigue but also improves attention.
- After Studying: A moderate workout like cycling or swimming can help consolidate memories and reduce the stress that builds up during intense mental effort.
3. Optimize Workout Timing for Your Lifestyle
The best time to exercise depends on your natural energy rhythms and daily commitments. Many people find morning exercise helps kick-start their day with energy and focus, while others benefit from evening workouts to unwind and prepare for restorative sleep. Both options can support cognitive function—morning activity primes the brain for learning, while evening activity enhances memory consolidation.
4. Make Movement Part of Your Routine
Even if your schedule is packed, there are creative ways to stay active throughout the day:
- Walk or cycle to your workplace or study spot instead of driving.
- Use the stairs whenever possible.
- Perform quick exercises like lunges or stretches while waiting for a coffee or during TV breaks.
- Study actively—walk around while reviewing notes or reciting flashcards.
These small bursts of activity can accumulate over the day, contributing to better brain health without requiring a dedicated workout.
5. Stay Motivated with Goals and Variety
Set specific, trackable goals to stay on track. For instance, commit to completing three workouts a week or adding an extra 1,000 steps to your daily count. Apps and trackers can help you monitor progress and celebrate milestones. To keep things engaging, vary your activities—alternate between cardio workouts, resistance training, and calming practices like tai chi. This variety keeps you mentally refreshed and less likely to lose interest.
6. Combine Physical and Cognitive Gains
Blend exercise with study objectives for maximum impact. For example, plan a run after completing a challenging section of your study material or review flashcards while walking on a treadmill. This pairing creates a sense of accomplishment in both areas and reinforces positive habits.
Integrating exercise into your study routine is about working smarter, not harder. By using movement to complement your study schedule, you can improve focus, enhance memory retention, and manage stress more effectively. Whether it’s through structured workouts or everyday activities, regular exercise can help you achieve your academic goals while maintaining long-term mental and physical health.
Overcoming Barriers to Regular Exercise
Fitting regular exercise into a busy schedule can feel challenging, but small, deliberate changes can make it easier than you think. If time is tight, focus on short but effective options like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or quick 10-minute walks during breaks. These activities pack a cognitive punch without requiring a big time investment. Look for ways to integrate movement into your daily routine—for instance, walking while reviewing notes, taking the stairs instead of elevators, or holding walking meetings. These small actions can accumulate to create meaningful physical activity without disrupting your day.
Staying motivated can also be a hurdle, but there are simple ways to keep yourself on track. Start by setting realistic goals, such as exercising three times a week, and use tools like fitness apps or journals to track your progress. Celebrating small wins—like completing a week of workouts—can reinforce positive habits. Consider adding rewards, like a favorite snack or downtime with a good book, as incentives. Finding an accountability partner can also make a big difference. Whether it’s a friend who joins you for workouts or an online community, having support can help you stay consistent and make exercise more enjoyable.
For those dealing with physical limitations, adapting exercises to meet your needs is crucial. Low-impact options like chair yoga, gentle stretching, or resistance band exercises can provide significant benefits without risking injury. If you’re unsure where to start, consult a healthcare provider or physical therapist for personalized guidance. Remember, even small movements contribute to overall brain and body health—consistency is far more important than intensity or duration.
Practical Tips for Maximizing Cognitive Benefits
Maximizing the cognitive benefits of exercise requires pairing it with supportive habits and strategies. By integrating movement into a balanced lifestyle, you can enhance memory, focus, and overall brain function. Here are practical ways to achieve this:
Combine Exercise with Study Strategies
- Pair physical activity with techniques like active recall to enhance retention. For example, quiz yourself on study material while walking or jogging to engage both your body and mind.
- Use spaced repetition alongside exercise by reviewing material at intervals, followed by short activities like stretching or light cycling. This approach helps consolidate information while keeping you physically active.
Fuel Your Brain with Proper Nutrition
- A diet rich in brain-boosting foods can amplify the effects of exercise on cognitive performance. Incorporate items like avocados, berries, nuts, salmon, and dark chocolate to nourish the brain.
- Staying hydrated is equally important—dehydration can reduce focus and impair memory.
Prioritize Restful Sleep
- Exercise supports memory consolidation by improving sleep quality, which is essential for storing and recalling information. Stick to a consistent bedtime and aim for 7-9 hours of sleep nightly.
- Avoid intense workouts late in the evening, as they may interfere with relaxation and your ability to fall asleep.
Make Exercise Social
- Engaging in group fitness activities, such as yoga classes or team sports, combines the benefits of physical activity with the mental uplift of social interaction. This can reduce stress and increase motivation.
- Working out with a friend or study partner adds accountability and makes exercise more enjoyable, fostering a sense of camaraderie.
Build a Routine That Works
- Consistency is key to seeing results. Find exercises you enjoy—whether it’s running, swimming, or tai chi—to make physical activity a sustainable part of your life.
- Schedule workouts to align with your study routine. A light workout before studying can improve focus, while a session afterward can help reduce stress and enhance memory retention.
By weaving these practices into your daily life, you can maximize the cognitive benefits of exercise while supporting your overall health. Combining movement with effective study habits and a balanced lifestyle ensures that your brain is well-prepared to meet academic and professional challenges.
Research: Exercise’s Impact on Learning
Exercise Boosts Brain Health
The 2013 article “The Influence of Exercise on Cognitive Abilities” by Fernando Gomez-Pinilla and Charles Hillman provides a detailed analysis of how physical exercise enhances cognitive health across the lifespan. The research emphasizes that aerobic fitness not only mitigates age-related brain tissue loss but also enhances brain regions responsible for higher-order cognitive functions, particularly the hippocampus. Molecular mechanisms, including the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), are highlighted as crucial for improving synaptic plasticity and energy metabolism, which support learning and memory. The study draws connections between exercise-induced increases in hippocampal volume and improved spatial memory, supported by neuroimaging data in humans and neurogenesis research in animals. Furthermore, the article discusses how exercise collaborates with dietary factors to enhance brain health and reduce the risk of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases, emphasizing its role in promoting mental resilience through epigenetic regulation. This evidence underscores the powerful cognitive benefits of regular physical activity and its potential to counteract aging and neurological disorders.
Better Fitness, Better Academic Performance
A study by Redondo-Flórez et al. (2022) explored the relationship between physical fitness and academic performance among 261 university students enrolled in physical activity and sports science. Participants were divided into high and low academic performance groups based on their grades. Researchers measured body composition, blood pressure, physical activity levels, sleep habits, and maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂ max) using the Cooper’s 12-minute run test. The findings revealed that students with higher academic performance had significantly higher VO₂ max levels, lower diastolic blood pressure, and fewer insomnia issues caused by breathing problems. These results highlight a strong association between cardiorespiratory fitness, better sleep quality, and academic achievement. The study underscores the value of interventions targeting physical activity and sleep to improve cognitive and learning outcomes in university students.
Timing Matters for Cognitive Gains
The 2010 study “Exercise and Time-Dependent Benefits to Learning and Memory” by Berchtold, Castello, and Cotman examines how exercise impacts cognitive function over time. Using a mouse model, the research explored the effects of voluntary exercise on hippocampus-dependent learning tasks and BDNF levels, a molecule essential for memory and learning. Mice that exercised performed better on cognitive tasks than their sedentary counterparts, with the fastest learning occurring when training was delayed by one week post-exercise. Memory retention was strongest immediately after exercise but declined with longer delays. BDNF levels in the hippocampus were found to peak right after exercise, staying elevated for up to two weeks before returning to baseline by weeks three or four. These findings suggest that exercise has time-sensitive effects on brain plasticity and cognitive performance, with distinct windows for optimal learning and memory retrieval. For humans, this implies that regular exercise not only enhances brain function but also that the timing of cognitive tasks—such as studying or skill acquisition—relative to exercise could significantly influence learning outcomes.
Wrapping Up
Exercise is a cornerstone of enhanced cognitive performance. Regular physical activity improves memory retention, sharpens focus, and lowers stress, creating the ideal conditions for learning and growth. Whether you’re studying for the MBLEx, school exams, pursuing career goals, or seeking personal development, integrating exercise into your routine can yield both immediate and long-term benefits for your brain and overall well-being.
Key Takeaways:
- Physical activity boosts memory retention and strengthens the brain’s neural pathways, making it easier to learn and recall information.
- Different types of exercise, such as aerobic workouts, resistance training, and yoga, offer unique cognitive advantages like increased focus, improved decision-making, and reduced stress.
- Pairing exercise with good study habits, proper sleep, and a brain-healthy diet amplifies its impact, enhancing both cognitive performance and mental resilience.
- Consistent exercise supports lifelong brain health, reducing the risk of memory decline and improving your ability to handle mental challenges effectively.
Make movement part of your daily strategy for learning and growth. Start with small, achievable actions—whether it’s a brisk walk, a quick HIIT session, or a calming yoga routine—and build from there. Remember, even short bursts of activity can have a profound impact on your focus and mental clarity.
FAQ
What type of exercise is best for improving learning and memory?
Aerobic workouts like running or swimming are highly effective for improving memory and learning by stimulating hippocampal growth and increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Strength training, including exercises like squats or push-ups, adds benefits for executive functions such as problem-solving. To maximize results, try combining physical activity with learning tasks—for example, taking brief study notes or practicing flashcards during intervals in high-intensity exercises. Activities like yoga also help by reducing stress and improving mental clarity, which are essential for focused learning.
What is the connection between BDNF and memory improvement?
BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) improves memory by promoting neuron growth and connection-building in the hippocampus, a key area for storing and recalling information. Physical activity increases BDNF levels, which strengthens the brain’s ability to adapt and form new pathways. Activities like cycling or brisk walking three times a week can enhance these effects. Fasting or intermittent caloric restriction has also been shown to elevate BDNF levels, further enhancing its role in supporting memory and learning. To make the most of this, schedule your workouts before or soon after learning sessions, as this aligns with the peak periods when BDNF supports memory consolidation.
How soon will I notice cognitive benefits from exercise?
Cognitive benefits from exercise can begin within hours of completing a workout. A single 30-minute session of aerobic exercise, such as jogging or cycling, has been shown to improve attention and memory by increasing blood flow and oxygenation in the brain. Regular workouts, performed 3–5 times weekly, enhance these effects over weeks by increasing hippocampal size and raising BDNF levels, which helps solidify learning and memory. While improved focus may appear shortly after starting, more substantial benefits, like better memory retention, become evident with consistent effort.
Can short exercise sessions enhance focus during a study session?
Yes, short exercise sessions can boost focus during study sessions by enhancing blood flow to the brain and increasing levels of alertness. Activities like a 5-10 minute brisk walk or performing jumping jacks stimulate the release of endorphins and neurotransmitters like dopamine, which improve attention and reduce mental fatigue. Incorporating these mini workouts during study breaks, such as every 25-30 minutes, can help reset concentration and maintain productivity over longer periods.
How long do the cognitive benefits of exercise last?
The cognitive benefits of exercise can last anywhere from a few hours to several weeks, depending on the type and frequency of physical activity. After a single session of aerobic exercise, improvements in attention and memory may be noticeable for a few hours due to increased blood flow and elevated neurotransmitter levels. Regular exercise, practiced consistently over weeks or months, can produce lasting changes in brain structure, such as increased hippocampal volume and elevated levels of BDNF, which support sustained cognitive function. To maximize these benefits, aim for regular exercise sessions at least three times per week.
Can exercise help adult students perform better on tests?
Physical activity can boost test performance in adult students by supporting memory, concentration, and stress control. Aerobic exercise, such as running or cycling, raises BDNF levels, helping the brain form stronger connections for learning and recall. A quick session before studying or testing increases blood flow to the brain, sharpening focus and mental processing speed. Consistent exercise also helps regulate stress, preventing it from negatively affecting test-day performance.
References
Gomez-Pinilla, F., & Hillman, C. (2013). The influence of exercise on cognitive abilities. Comprehensive Physiology, 3(1), 403–428. doi:10.1002/cphy.c110063
Redondo-Flórez, L., Ramos-Campo, D. J., & Clemente-Suárez, V. J. (2022). Relationship between Physical Fitness and Academic Performance in University Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(22), 14750. doi:10.3390/ijerph192214750
Berchtold, N. C., Castello, N., & Cotman, C. W. (2010). Exercise and time-dependent benefits to learning and memory. Neuroscience, 167(3), 588–597. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2010.02.050