Doing cardio affects your brain differently than things like strength training—here's how
為什麼有氧運動對大腦產生的影響不同於力量訓練？
Whether you’re a cardio fan or not, the popular opinion among people who exercise regularly is that workouts that spike the heart rate feel better and more satisfying than workouts that don’t. To get to the bottom of whether that means different things for you on an actual cranial level, we’ve asked fitness experts for intel on how cardio affects your brain, and how it compares to simple strength training.
無論你是不是有氧運動愛好者，經常鍛鍊的人普遍認為讓心跳加速的鍛鍊會讓人感覺更好，讓人更有滿足感。為了搞清楚有氧運動到底能否給人的大腦帶來了影響，關於有氧運如何影響人的大腦，以及有氧運動與簡單的力量訓練之間的區別等問題，我們訪問並諮詢了一些健身專家。
“From a brain-health standpoint, we know that [aerobic exercise] increases your heart rate and causes you to breathe harder, which means that your body is delivering more oxygen to your brain, which is good for overall brain health,” says David Geier, DO, orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist. It also can simply feel more invigorating to do a cardio workout versus any other type of exercise because of the “runner’s high,” AKA that rush of endorphins, which gives you a happy, euphoric feeling.
骨科醫生，運動醫學專家大衛·蓋爾（David Geier）醫生表示：“從大腦健康的角度來看，有氧運動會提高人的心率，促使人更用力地呼吸，這意味著身體正向大腦供應更多的氧氣，這對大腦的整體健康是有好處的。”與其他類型的運動相比，有氧運動帶給跑步者“興奮感”讓人感覺更加精力充沛。這種興奮感源自於體內內啡肽的激增，這是一種能讓人產生愉悅感和亢奮感的物質。
According to Thomas Falda, PT and training expert with Freeletics, cardio training gives you a whole list of benefits that you don’t get from other types of workouts. “It has been proven that cardio can have a variety of positive effects on the human body, from enhancing cognition, to improving cardiorespiratory and cardiovascular fitness, to improving glycaemia and insulin regulation, to obviously strengthening the musculoskeletal system,” he says. Keep scrolling for the four major ways that cardio impacts your brain for more than just body-strengthening benefits.
根據鍛鍊與運動指導平臺Freeletics的體育運動和培訓專家托馬斯·法勒達（Thomas Falda）的觀點，有氧運動能給人們帶來一系列其他類型的鍛鍊所沒有的益處。他還提到：“事實證明，有氧運動能給人體帶來有多種有益的影響：從提高認知能力，到改善心肺功能和心血管健康，到改善血糖和調節胰島素，再到明顯地加強肌肉骨骼系統等。”有氧運動不僅對人體健康有益處，還會影響人的大腦，下面就是有氧運動影響人大腦的四種主要方式。
The brain benefits of doing cardio
堅持有氧運動對大腦的益處
1. Cardio stimulates brain elasticity:Your brain is elastic in nature, which means that neuronal connections can decrease, and that new neuronal connections can be created. “That’s why it feels challenging to do something that you’ve never done before,” says Dr. Falda. “It has been proven that exercise and cardio stimulate that brain elasticity by stimulating the formation and growth of new connections between brain cells.”
1.有氧運動能使大腦保持彈性：人的大腦是有彈性的，這意味著神經元聯結會減少，但是同時新的神經元聯結也會產生。這就是為什麼當人們做一些從未做過的事情時會感覺到富有挑戰性。”法勒達表示，“事實證明，鍛鍊和有氧運動能夠通過促進腦細胞之間新聯結的形成和生長來促使大腦保持彈性。”
2. Cardio helps reduce your brain’s response to stress:Dr. Geier points out that cardio exercise decreases inflammation and reduces your brain’s response to stress. Stephen Gonzalez, PhD, CMPC, sports psychologist with the Association of Applied Sports Psychology, echoes this, adding that there are an increasing number of clinical trials that look at the connection between exercise and how it can help relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety. “When you hit your 70 percent of your maximum capacity, it has a profound impact on our mood and can be huge in helping to treat some of the psychological problems related to stress and anxiety,” he says.
2. 有氧運動有助於減弱人的大腦對壓力的反應：蓋爾醫生指出有氧運動可以減少炎症的發生並且減弱大腦對壓力的反應。註冊心理諮詢師，應用運動心理學協會的運動心理學家斯蒂芬·岡薩雷斯（Stephen Gonzalez）博士對此回應並補充表示，越來越多的臨床試驗致力於研究鍛鍊的作用，以及鍛鍊與輔助緩解抑鬱、焦慮症狀這兩者之間的聯繫。他說：“當人們達到體能極限的70%時，鍛鍊會對人的情緒產生深遠的影響，並且非常有助於輔助治療一些與壓力和焦慮有關的心理問題。”
3. Cardio can reduce your risk of memory loss:“A number of studies have shown that cardiovascular exercise results in a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s,” says Dr. Geier. In some research, studies have found that cardio strengthens the hippocampus, aka the part of the brain that deals with long and short-term memory.
3.有氧運動可以降低失憶的風險。蓋爾醫生說：“許多研究表明，有氧運動可以降低患痴呆症和阿爾茨海默病的風險。”在一些研究中，還發現有氧運動可以增強大腦中的海馬體，海馬體在大腦中負責長期記憶和短期記憶部分。
4. Cardio tends to promote mindfulness:When you’re sweating through a HIIT workout, for example, you’re focused on every single exercise and your body’s form throughout. In certain types of cardio though—think running and cycling—you can kind of zone out. “This is why a lot of people swear by walking or running for clearing their brain,” says Dr. Gonzalez. “The monotonous movement frees up a part of our mind so that creative thoughts or ideas can emerge.” It’s essentially a moving meditation.
4.有氧運動往往能提高專注力：當人們在高強度間歇訓練（HIIT）中大汗淋漓時，人們的注意力會集中在每一個鍛鍊動作和身體的形態上。在某些類型的有氧運動中，如跑步和騎自行車等，人們可能會有一種“走神”或者“放空”的感覺。“這就是為什麼很多人要通過散步或跑步使自己流汗，以此來保持頭腦清醒。”岡薩雷斯博士解釋說，“那些形式上比較單調的運動能夠將人們大腦的一部分空間解放出來，這時一些創造性的想法或靈感可能會浮現在我們腦海中。”有氧運動本質上相當於在運動時冥想。
