Exercise More – Learn More?

When you work out, do you listen to music? Watch TV? Study for a test or learn a new language?

A study published in May set to find out if people learned – and retained – more while they were sedentary, working out or immediately after a workout at the gym.

In the study, almost 100 women were recruited to learn new vocabulary. This group of women was divided into three, smaller groups. Each group wore headphones and listened to two sets of words – one in their native tongue, and its equivalent in a foreign language.

But each group of women was tasked differently during their listening. One group sat quietly, another rode a bike and then listened to the audio program, and the last group listened to the audio program while riding a bike at a moderate intensity.

Two days later, the women were tested and those who rode the bike while listening retained more information than those who had not.

From the study’s abstract:

“We found better vocabulary test performance for subjects that were physically active during the encoding phase compared to sedentary subjects. Post-hoc tests revealed that this effect was particularly present in initially low performers. BDNF in serum and BDNF genotype failed to account for the current result. Our data indicates that light to moderate simultaneous physical activity during encoding, but not prior to encoding, is beneficial for subsequent recall of new items.”

In other words, if you’re cramming for a trip to Europe, you might want to consider learning a new language… while you work out!

Just remember to avoid listening to music or audio when riding your bike outside! Save the headphones for the stationary bike to prevent injury.

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