What exercise does to your brain—and how to actually do it regularly.
Wendy Suzuki is a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at New York University, where she is also the first Asian-American Dean of the College of Arts and Science. She is the author of two books, Good Anxiety and Healthy Brain, Happy Life.
This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.
We talk about:
- How exercise not only enhances cognitive function but also protects against age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.
- The difference between cardio and strength training
- Whether it matters if you track your steps
- How to sustain your motivation to exercise
- And practical tips on how to start, restart or increase an exercise habit
- We also talk about the brain benefits of sleep, meditation, and healthy eating (with a detour into ways to counteract the potentially unhealthy obsession with being healthy)
- And finally, we talk about the counterintuitive benefits of anxiety
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