Taking small exercise breaks during work recharges brain: Study

For the study, scientists enrolled 28 men and had them perform tasks that challenge what is called ‘working memory’. This allows people to store and update information in their brains about stuff they are working on like goals, deadlines and others.

Those men took the working-memory challenges before, immediately after, and 30 minutes after three different test periods on three different days. The test periods were assigned in random order and lasted 25 minutes each. In one, the men simply exercised on a stationary bike. In another, they performed a cognitive task while sitting on the bike, but they didn’t exercise. And in the third, they did both at the same time: they exercised on the bike and performed a cognitive task.

The results showed that aerobic exercises have a rapid beneficial effect on people’s ability to plan, pay attention and juggle tasks. The positive effects of the exercise-only intervention became evident 30 minutes after cycling.