Much is already known about the benefits of physical exercise on our body, but what many people still don’t know or have little knowledge of is that physical exercise plays an extremely important role in our performance and cognition.

In a literature review Falk (2016) suggests that a sedentary lifestyle is associated with a reduction in cognitive functions, as well as a decline in it, which can lead to dementia.

It is known that exercise plays an important role in the development and maintenance of some of the cognitive functions. According to Basso (2015), evidence in humans shows that physical activity or improving physical conditioning promotes morphological changes in the brain and can improve some cognitive functions such as learning, memory and executive function.

Okay, but what is the executive function?

Executive function is linked to problem solving and can be conceptualized as a group of cognitive abilities that allow the execution of actions in order to achieve a goal.

It is known that cognitive functions are affected in different ways by the practice of physical exercises with different intensities; some of these functions perform better than others influenced by physical exercise.

During the bibliographical survey carried out for this review, it is possible to observe that most of the studies carried out with resistance training have as their main motto elderly individuals who present, greater declines, motor, cognitive, physiological and loss of strength, strength exercise seems to be related to improvement in these systems and consequently improves mood (related to the social part provided by exercise) and cognitive functions. Therefore, there is a gap in the literature with studies focused on resistance exercises in different age groups and protocols.

In a study with individuals of both sexes, minimally active, with acute aerobic exercises at different intensities (intense and moderate) Lee 2007 observed that individuals who performed exercises with greater intensity in a period of 30 minutes obtained better results in cognitive tests that assess the attention and increase of BDNF that was verified through blood markers.

But what is BDNF? It’s a family of proteins that enhance the life of your neurons, they can also be found in heart, liver, adipose and skeletal muscle tissue. In brain tissue, its presence is often reported in the hippocampus which is directly linked to learning.

In other words, physical exercises have the power to improve decision-making and increase the lifespan of neurons, making people perform more in all areas of their lives.

How long will people and companies neglect physical exercise as an important part of their business?