<p>Hi, </p>
<p>I see all these studies on how exercising keeps the brain active and improves memory. But when I see the top students in my high school, I wouldn't necessarily call them athletic or exercise type people. When I look at the athletes and regular exercisers, I wouldn't necessarily call them the brightest either. There are exceptions to this rule of course. I am wondering because I want to start exercising regularly when I enter college in order to improve my memory and retain information. Has anyone seen a huge impact on their memory when they are exercising? I guess running is the most common when it comes to this.</p>
<p>A statistical significance might not be clinically significant - meaning the “improvement” might be very small and not something you would notice about someone else, but might notice about yourself. It’s not like working out will make you a genius.</p>
<p>Exercising improves your energy, which may help you to stay on task and focus longer. There are a lot of other benefits to working out, such as relieving stress, getting physically healthy, improving mood, etc. It certainly wouldn’t hurt you to make it a part of your daily schedule. Eating healthy also helps to improve mental functioning.</p>
<p>In a “just my experience” way, I’ve noticed that I do better on exams when I’ve worked out/exercised that day. It may be because I’m more positive/optimistic, or because I have more energy, but I’m not really going to question it. I just enjoy the results:)</p>