How To Strengthen Long-Term Memory

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Today’s Health Upgrade

• How to instantly boost memory

• The most effective diet plan is…

• A secret weapon against soreness

Health 
How to Strengthen Long-Term Memory

We know that exercise makes your brain sharper. But when you exercise might determine just how much of a boost you experience.  

New research suggests that exercising after learning significantly improves memory recall and retention.

In this study, researchers wanted to see if the timing of physical activity could enhance memory retention. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: exercise before learning, exercise after learning, and a control (no exercise at all).

The control group and exercise before learning did not display any advantage. But when people learned first and then did a hard 20-minute cycling workout, they experienced a significant boost in memory. 

The improvements were observed in delayed recognition memory, suggesting that exercise helps reinforce information over time.

If you want to retain and recall information more effectively, the new study suggests doing your work first and then hitting a workout might be best. Other studies also suggest that as little as 10 to 20 minutes can help strengthen your brain, including low-intensity exercise, such as walking. However, it appears that higher-intensity exercise can lead to even better cognitive performance.

Nutrition
Science Says This Is The Most Effective Diet Plan

Keto, low-carb, low-fat, intermittent fasting—everyone wants to know which diet works best for weight loss. Researchers recently invested 2 years studying different nutrition strategies to answer that question. 

The secret to success is not the specific diet you follow but whether you can actually stick to it. 

The scientists assigned overweight and obese adults to a low-fat, low-carb, high-protein, or balanced diet. Researchers tracked weight loss, metabolic changes, and adherence rates. They found that many variables influence successful weight loss and that the most significant determinant of success was not choosing carnivore, vegan, Paleo, or any of the hyped diets. 

The most important takeaway was that no single diet works best for everyone; instead, long-term weight loss success depends on consistency, adherence, and individual preferences.

However, some traits stuck out and gave people a higher likelihood of success. 

Exercise, fiber, and protein intake were linked to better fat loss and muscle retention, regardless of the diet followed.

Those who ate more protein lost an average of 17 pounds, triple the fat loss of those who ate the least amount of protein. And during the first 6 months of the study, those who ate the most fiber lost an average of 23 pounds. 

Research suggests that eating between 1.6 and 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of goal weight (or .6 to 1 gram per pound of goal weight) can support your weight loss goals. And you’ll want to aim for at least 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day.

If you want to keep your results, focus on selecting foods that you enjoy that provide more protein and fiber. Good protein sources include eggs, fish, poultry, lentils, beans, soy, game meat, or protein powder. While quality sources of fiber include vegetables, fruit (especially berries), oats, grains, lentils, and beans.

Recovery 
A Secret Weapon Against Soreness

Sore muscles after a challenging workout are almost a badge of honor—but a little less soreness means you could feel stronger and push harder on your next workout. If you want to speed recovery, a pre-workout cocktail could be the answer.

Research suggests caffeine can do more than give you energy — it could help reduce the intensity of muscle soreness after exercise, offering a practical way to help you recover and get back to your training with less discomfort.

In a meta-analysis that pooled data from several randomized controlled trials (RCTs), researchers set out to discover whether caffeine makes a real difference in post-workout muscle pain.

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the increasing pain and stiffness that sets in 24 to 48 hours after intense or unfamiliar exercise. While many people view soreness as a sign of a good workout, that’s not always the case. 

The goal of a good workout isn’t to make you sore — it’s to get better and not be so exhausted that you can’t keep improving each workout. 

In other words, you want to balance intensity and fatigue to help yourself bounce back faster.  

In one study, researchers purposely put participants through exercises designed to cause as much soreness as possible. But, they wanted to see if caffeine before the workout impacted recovery. 

Participants who consumed coffee before exercise reported a significant reduction in perceived muscle soreness up to 48 hours after their workout. And the caffeine appeared to increase pain tolerance, making soreness less noticeable and recovery more comfortable.

In the meta-analysis, across the board, caffeine was found to lower reported muscle soreness by about 15 to 20 percent compared to a placebo.

If you’ve ever skipped a workout because you were too sore, this research offers a simple, effective strategy to keep you on track. Research suggests that about 200 mg of caffeine (about the amount in 2 cups of coffee) an hour before your workout could help with recovery. 

However, don’t forget the recovery basics. Caffeine might be helpful, but it’s less effective than other strategies like good nutrition, hydration, sleep, and other techniques to help sore muscles, such as foam rolling or percussive massage.

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell