#140: The Brain-Boosting Benefits of Exercise with Ryan Glatt

Exercise is a non-negotiable part of good health, but that doesn’t have to mean logging hours at the gym or forcing yourself to go on a run.

There are so many benefits of movement that go far beyond the cardiovascular effects and weight management that are so often the focus of exercise. It’s actually an essential piece to maintaining prime cognitive function throughout life.

On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host Dhru talks to Ryan Glatt, a personal trainer and brain-health coach with over a decade of experience in the health and fitness industry. He currently works alongside clinicians and researchers to study the effects of cognitively-enhanced and comprehensive exercise plans at the Pacific Brain Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

Ryan has pursued education from the Amen Clinics, The BrainFirst Training Institute, the Neuroscience Academy, and the Academy for Brain Health and Performance. He is currently enrolled in the Master's of Applied Neuroscience program at King's College of London. He actively consults with companies who leverage exercise for brain health, and educates health and fitness professionals with the first course to comprehensively address exercise and the brain called the Brain Health Trainer course, in which he has educated over 1,000 health and fitness professionals.

In this episode, Dhru and Ryan break down the benefits of exercise for brain health. They discuss why enjoyment is key when it comes to exercise. They also talk about how to create a brain-healthy exercise program. 

In this episode, we dive into: 

-Why exercise is so important and how it impacts the brain (7:20) -How exercise decreases our chance of cognitive decline (12:30) -Why enjoyment matters when it comes to exercise (16:55) -How short bouts of exercise increase executive function (20:44)  -The optimal amount of time and intensity you should exercise every week (24:35)  -What role exercise can play during a pandemic (35:13) -The three macronutrient ingredients in a brain-healthy exercise plan (44:31) -The benefits of combining exercise with cognitive challenges (56:05) -Three phases of skill learning and why beginners win (1:04:13) -Where to learn more about Ryan (1:15:20)

For more on Ryan Glatt, you can follow him on Instagram @glatt.brainhealth, on Facebook @somatiqhealth, and through his website Ryanglatt.com.

Also mentioned in this episode: -Broken Brain Docu-series - brokenbrain.com/freepodcastoffer

-The Pacific Brain Health Center - https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/

-Brain Health Trainer - https://www.brainhealthtrainer.com/

-Treating Chronic Pain with Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine with Dr. Shounuck Patel - https://drhyman.com/blog/2019/06/27/bb-ep61/

-“The Brain-Changing Benefits of Exercise” TED talk by Wendy Suzuki - https://www.ted.com/talks/wendy_suzuki_the_brain_changing_benefits_of_exercise?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm;_medium=referral&utm;_source=tedcomshare

-Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by Dr. John Ratey - https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514

For more on Dhru Purohit, be sure to follow him on Instagram @dhrupurohit, on Facebook @dhruxpurohit, on Twitter @dhrupurohit, and on YouTube @dhrupurohit. You can also text Dhru at (302) 200-5643 or click here https://my.community.com/dhrupurohit.

Interested in joining Dhru’s Broken Brain Podcast Facebook Community? Submit your request to join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2819627591487473/.

This episode of Broken Brain is brought to you by Thrive Market.

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