I've developed self-improvement principles based on the neuroscientific benefits of exercise.
The research-based exercises in this book will help you have a healthier brain.
We are confident that you will find yourself in a better state than before through various easy-to-follow and simple exercises.
This book is not just about exercise and the brain.
Rather, it is about navigating life.
There was a time when my life was filled with moments when it was hard to breathe, and I had to move my body to escape from them.
And now I'm taking a deep breath and enjoying life.
I hope exercise will be the antidote to your life, just as it was to mine.
You will become a more positive and resilient person.
You'll also find yourself more focused, more productive, and more meaningful relationships after exercising.
All these changes will really happen to you!
---「Entering.
From “The Power of Exercise to Save Life, pp. 17-18”

Exercise is your own journey to improve your fitness, not someone else's.
Therefore, you must determine the intensity of your exercise yourself.
Comparing yourself to others is not helpful, as the feeling of being "just right" depends on your individual lactate threshold.
For example, if you haven't moved much recently, simply walking can help you get past your lactate threshold.
That doesn't matter though.
The important thing is to gradually move away from your current lactate threshold.
Just move forward little by little, like a child learning to walk.
Just loiter in front of your house, walk around the neighborhood, and do it once, twice, three times.
Let's start with an exercise that you can comfortably tolerate, no matter what.

---「Chapter 1.
From “Why Can’t We Break Free from Three-Day Resolutions?”, p.42

The curious thing is that not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD, and not everyone who experiences fear develops an anxiety disorder.
What protects them? A neurotransmitter called neuropeptide Y, which aids recovery.
(…) Perhaps you are thinking, ‘I need NPY too.’
Fortunately, there is good news.
The fact is that you can create NPY through exercise.
How can exercise produce NPY and enhance recovery? One study tracked NPY changes in 12 young male rowers over a four-week training program.
(…) Researchers measured NPY before and after exercise and found that exercise at a consistent intensity led to an immediate increase in NPY that lasted for over 30 minutes. This means that exercise is essential to produce more NPY.

---「Chapter 2.
From "The Fastest Way to Get Out of Anxiety, p.63"

Our lab tracked changes in college students' mental health and inflammation over a six-week period during the most stressful time of the year: final exams.
(…) At the end of the grueling six weeks, the control group, which had been sedentary and did not exercise at all, were severely depressed enough to require treatment.
It was a shocking result, considering that none of them had ever suffered from a mental illness.
In contrast, the two exercise groups did not feel depressed even though they were exposed to the same psychological stress as the control group.
Students in the group that received moderate-intensity, sustained training in particular were the least stressed and had lower levels of inflammation as measured by blood tests.
---「Chapter 3.
From "A body of steel has a mentality of steel, p.109"

So how long does it take for a reward system to recover? Animal studies have shown that restoring a reward system takes significantly longer than destroying it.
(…) Recovery times vary greatly from person to person.
A study that followed 16 methamphetamine addicts for a year reveals this.
(…) What differences existed between them that led to such different outcomes? Surprisingly, there was no significant difference in their upbringing or history of drug abuse.
Many factors were similar, including age, education level, and duration of drug abuse.
But there was a crucial difference: the 10 addicts who successfully recovered from addiction, including Mike, had more dopamine receptors than those who failed.
If so, the solution appears to be in sight.
All we need to do is find a way to increase the number of receptors in the brains of recovering addicts.
Thankfully, there is a way! It's called moving your body.
---「Chapter 4.
From "The Most Powerful Antidote to Addiction, p.129"

You may have inherited genes that cause you to age more quickly than others.
But you shouldn't accept it as your fate.
Although one in four people inherit the eta4 type of apolipoprotein E (ApoE), which increases the risk of dementia, that does not mean they will inevitably develop dementia.
Conversely, inheriting healthy genes does not necessarily mean you are safe from dementia.
Why? Because lifestyle habits have a greater influence than genes.
As you can see, lifestyle habits are much more important than you think.
Our lab's research shows that without enough physical activity, healthy genes don't work at all.
A study of 1,600 older adults found that those who were less physically active had a similar risk of developing dementia as those with genetic predisposition.
These results suggest that not only genes but also lack of activity contributes to the development of dementia.
One thing to remember is that while you can't change your genes, you can change your lifestyle.
---「Chapter 5.
From “If you don’t want to get old, exercise, pp. 162-163”

The solution to this problem is simple.
Put your phone down and put on your sneakers.
Exercise resets the brain's clock.
Let's look at a study that analyzed the effects of exercise and sunlight on resetting the brain's clock.
(…) The light and movement worked synergistically to set Steve's brain clock back an hour and 20 minutes.
How can we apply these research findings to real-life situations? Exercise outdoors at the same time every day to align your brain's clock with real time.
The key is persistence.
That way, you can trust your exercise time as much as the sun.
You can fall asleep faster by aligning your brain's clock with reality.
---「Chapter 6.
From "To You Who Are Afraid of Losing Sleep, pp. 202-203"

Exercise trains the brain and strengthens executive functions like these.
The prefrontal cortex, which is supplied with sufficient blood sugar and oxygen, has better executive function than ever before.
This time is the best opportunity to examine your thoughts and discover errors in judgment.
You don't necessarily have to exercise for hours a day to achieve this.
Even just taking a quick break to move around can significantly improve your productivity.
Our lab has shown that taking short breaks, such as five minutes of exercise, while working on a task can make you more productive than working without breaks or resting statically.
We used the "brain reset workout" that included high-intensity movements introduced in Chapter 4's 10-Minute Workout a Day, but light movement and stretching will also produce good results.
This is because within 15 minutes of starting any level of exercise, blood flow containing oxygen increases within the prefrontal cortex.
The more intense and prolonged the exercise, the more rapidly the blood flow, including oxygen, increases.

---「Chapter 7.
From “Increasing Concentration for a Creative Life,” p.229