Can’t remember how many reps you should do of squat thrusts? Do a few more reps and it might come back to you. Slowly. Researchers at Georgia Tech are persuaded that an intense workout of as little as 20 minutes can enhance episodic memory, also known as long-term memory for previous events, by about 10 percent. A Georgia Tech news release admits that the school isn’t the first to find that exercise can improve memory, but their study, which was just published in the journal Acta Psychologica, took a new approach. While many studies have shown that months of aerobic exercises such as running can improve memory, the GT study had participants lift weights just once two days before testing them. The researchers first had the study subjects look at a series of 90 photos which were evenly split between positive (i.e. kids on a waterslide), negative (mutilated bodies) and neutral (clocks) pictures. No one was told to remember the photos. Everyone then sat at a leg extension resistance exercise machine. Half of the participants extended and contracted each leg at their personal maximum effort 50 times, while the control group simply sat in the chair and allowed the machine and the experimenter to move their legs. The participants returned to the lab 48 hours later and saw a series of 180 pictures – the 90 originals were mixed in with 90 new photos. And? The envelope please….The control group recalled about 50 percent of the photos from the first session, and those who had exercised remembered about 60 percent. Remember that?
The Wise Guide to Aging