I like exercise, but I don't like gyms. I've even run in a blizzard to avoid a slog on the treadmill. I suppose the reason I feel this way is that gyms seem artificial to me -- the air conditioning, the thumping music, the way they encourage movements that bear little relation to the real world. Consider, for example, the number of times you have done triceps extensions or isolated bicep curls outside of a gym. Probably never.
I also think that a traditional gym environment may encourage cognitive passivity. Rather than being mentally engaged when we go to a gym, we often turn our Ipods on in order to switch our brains off, and drown ourselves in a haze of auto-tuned vocals and auto-tuned movements. You don't have to think to do a leg extension or a bench press, and this is often intentionally designed this way, as gym users seem not to want to think about what they are doing.
Available evidence supports this notion, showing that whatever the physical benefits of conventional anaerobic exercise, there is little evidence of cognitive benefits, particularly for working memory.
Working Memory, the active processing of information, is linked to performance in a wide variety of contexts, from grades to sports. Tracy's research has shown that the better your working memory, the better your results in contexts where you have to process information.
If you were a best man at a wedding, for example, and you discovered that you had left your notes for your speech on the kitchen table at home, it would be your working memory that would allow you to manage the stress of public speaking, and, at the same time, piece together information you know about the newlyweds in a witty and heartwarming manner.
The great thing about working memory is not just that it helps us in so many different ways, but Tracy's research has suggests that it can be strengthened much like a muscle. And, in contrast to conventional anaerobic exercise, certain physical exercises can improve working memory.
Studies indicate, for example, that running improves working memory, and brain scans have shown the home of working memory in the brain, the Prefrontal Cortex, fires, when running. This is possibly because to run without falling flat on your face, you have to use your working memory to process visual information in your immediate environment and how your body is moving through it. This awareness of your body position and orientation is known as proprioception (more on that later).
When Tracy and I found out about the cognitive benefits of running, years ago, we quickly picked it up, doing it almost exclusively. But after month or so, I became bored with pounding the pavement. I felt there was something missing in my exercise, as if my body was capable of doing a lot more than putting one foot in front of the other.
Then we found this video on YouTube:
This was the antithesis of most of the stuff I had seen in the gym, and it made me realize how far removed modern exercise culture was from the world humans used to inhabit. In the natural world, a leg extension, a bicep curl, is about as useful as a cell phone without bars.
When watching it, I saw jumps, climbs, and sprints, but also an adaptive engagement with a complex environment. I saw proprioceptive skills, processing of visual information, planning, and rapid decision making. Knowing that such movements required working memory, we wondered if they might also improve working memory.
But there was a big problem: to test this hypothesis we had to have participants, and very few people are capable of performing the seemingly dangerous Tarzanesque movements on the video. Fortunately, as I found out, Movnat, the company that produced the video, also teaches a much more sedate version of the movements that doesn't put participants' lives in mortal danger.
Find out what happened next when we discuss the experiment and the unexpected results in Part 2...
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.