Shutterstock Want an all-natural way to lift your mood, improve your memory, and protect your brain against age-related cognitive decline?
Get moving.
A wealth of recent research , including a new study published this month , suggests that any type of exercise that raises your heart rate and gets you moving and sweating for a sustained period of time - known as aerobic exercise - has a significant, overwhelmingly beneficial impact on the brain.
"Aerobic exercise is the key for your head, just as it is for your heart," write the authors of an article in the Harvard Medical School blog "Mind and Mood."
While some of the benefits - like a lift in mood - can emerge as soon as a few minutes into a sweaty bike ride, others - like improved memory - might take several weeks to crop up. That means that the best type of fitness for your mind is any aerobic exercise that you can do regularly and consistently for at least 45 minutes at a time.
In the latest study to assess the benefits of aerobic workouts on the brain, researchers looked to hundreds of breast cancer survivors . They wanted to see if activities like walking and swimming could have any effect on "chemo brain," a commonly-reported side effect of breast cancer treatment that involves memory loss and difficulties focusing.