Before heading to the gym, check out these seven interesting facts in this article—they can better motivate you and help you gain more benefits from your workout.
1. Exercise can boost your IQ
Start with this: children who walk to school tend to have better concentration and higher test scores; seniors who enjoy moderate exercise are only half as likely to suffer from cognitive impairment compared to their peers.
Scientists believe that exercise delivers more blood to the brain, promoting neuron growth and releasing more neurotransmitters and growth hormones, all of which are crucial for overall brain health.
2. There’s science behind workout music
What songs get you most pumped during a workout? Many believe listening to music while exercising helps reduce stress and boost endurance. Why does music have such an effect? Tom Stafford points out in an article that the secret lies in our brain—not our muscles.
The effect of music seems most pronounced during self-paced workouts, such as running or rowing, rather than team sports. The part of the brain responsible for signaling and controlling muscle movement is called the motor cortex, which plays a key role in timing movements.
Stafford explains that music signals first travel through the auditory pathway to the supplementary motor area (SMA). In this region, the rhythm of the music may help us time our movements better.
3. Are muscle cramps caused by salt deficiency?
The cause of muscle cramps remains somewhat mysterious, as they’re hard to predict and difficult to artificially induce in a lab—so most research is based on real-life observations.
Studies on American football players show that cramps are more likely to occur in hot weather, supporting the theory that they’re caused by low salt levels due to sweat loss. But the issue is, athletes in cold regions also experience cramps.
Another study involving South American ultra-marathon runners found no significant difference in sodium levels between those who cramped and those who didn’t. This suggests that if you get a cramp, stretching is enough—you don’t need to increase your sodium intake.
4. Is pre- and post-workout stretching necessary?
We’re often told that stretching muscles is the best way to avoid soreness or injury during exercise. But is this really true?
Two studies point to the same answer: not necessarily. Rob Herbert, an author of one study from the George Institute in Australia, says if you feel good stretching before a workout, you can keep doing it—but the act of stretching itself might not help much. All the evidence shows that whether or not you stretch before exercise makes no difference in muscle recovery or injury prevention.
5. Can special running shoes prevent injuries?
If you’re a keen runner, you might consider getting custom running shoes. When you do, the store staff will tell you about the degree of pronation in your feet. But how important is that really?
There’s little evidence proving the benefits of custom running shoes, leading some to think it’s just a myth. Surprisingly, there’s also little evidence showing that running on hard surfaces leads to more injuries. Still, shoe manufacturers claim their products offer better protection against injuries.
6. Can we run 100 meters in under 9 seconds?
If you’re a determined athlete, you might set yourself a lofty goal. But what are the limits of human ability? Research shows this is a tough question to answer.
For most runners, speed is mainly determined by the force they can exert when their foot hits the ground. To run faster, you either push harder or take longer strides with the same force. Studies find the gastrocnemius muscle group has a greater impact on how much force runners apply to the ground.
Human running speeds keep breaking records, but the outcome remains unpredictable. Current estimates suggest we haven’t yet reached the limit of human speed.
7. Can exercise really alleviate depression?
The most compelling evidence of exercise's impact on mood comes from a large-scale data analysis conducted by the Cochrane Center. Researchers analyzed data from 30 trials conducted worldwide, spanning countries including Thailand, Denmark, and Australia. The conclusion was that, overall, exercise may be beneficial for individuals with depression, but the effect is minimal, and the influence of exercise is clearly not as miraculous as often advertised.