How to Use Exercise to Improve Your Brain’s Health, Longevity & Performance

Huberman Lab

In this episode, I discuss how different forms of exercise impact brain health and performance in both the short and long term. I explain how many of the positive effects of exercise on brain function occur through the action of specific neurochemicals that increase alertness.

I also cover how to best time exercise and which specific types of exercise to include in your weekly routine to maximize benefits for your brain. Additionally, I explain how certain types of exercise trigger the release of a hormone from your bones called osteocalcin, as well as brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Together, these substances increase neuroplasticity and enhance learning.

The positive effects of exercise on brain oxygenation, blood supply, and fuel utilization are also discussed. Listeners will learn how to design a weekly exercise program that optimizes physical fitness, brain health, longevity, and performance, along with the mechanistic logic behind those recommendations.

Find show notes with articles, resources and more at hubermanlab.com.

Pre-order Andrew's upcoming book, Protocols: https://go.hubermanlab.com/protocols

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Timestamps

00:00:00 Exercise, Brain Health & Performance; Protocols Book

00:04:03 Sponsors: BetterHelp & Helix Sleep

00:06:55 Brain Health, Cardiovascular & Resistance Training

00:11:51 Exercise & Positive Impact on Brain Performance; Arousal

00:18:20 Learning & Arousal

00:23:18 Sponsors: AG1 & David

00:26:01 Exercise & Acute Learning

00:29:16 Tool: High-Intensity Training & Cognitive Flexibility; Over-Training

00:33:32 Long-Term Brain Health; Tool: Exercise “Snacks”, Cognitive Performance

00:36:57 Exercise, Brain & Body Energy, Adrenaline, Norepinephrine

00:44:08 Adrenal “Burnout”?; Exercise to Increase Energy, Adrenaline

00:48:20 Tool: Core, Compound Movements; Mind-Body Connection

00:53:58 Sponsor: Function

00:55:45 Bones, Osteocalcin, BDNF & Hippocampus; Tool: Jump Training

01:01:30 Exercise, Fuel, Multifactorial Pathways; BDNF & Activity

01:05:06 Lactate, Astrocytes & Brain Function; VEGF & Brain Health

01:11:17 Tools: Zone 2, High-Intensity Training, Time Under Tension Training

01:19:54 Sponsor: Maui Nui

01:21:37 Tools: Time Under Tension; Explosive Jumping, Eccentric Control Training

01:25:30 Injury & Exercise, Illness

01:28:09 Sleep; Injury, Sleep-Deprivation & Exercise

01:33:51 SuperAgers, Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex, Grit & Persistence

01:42:04 Tool: Embrace Challenges; Deliberate Cold Exposure, Rope Flow

01:47:39 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow & Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

Disclaimer & Disclosures