Foundations for Brain Health, Part II: Movement as Medicine for the Mind

If you joined me for Part I of this series, we explored how nutrition shapes the brain. Today, in Part II, we’re turning to something just as powerful, and often underestimated, movement.

From a naturopathic and functional medicine perspective, exercise is more than a means to fitness or a tool to manipulate body size. Rather, it’s a profound way to restore, protect, and optimize our brain function throughout life. In this article, we’ll explore the evidence that explains how exercise transforms the brain and how to make movement sustainable, nourishing, and supportive in real life.

Table of Contents

• Introduction: Movement as Medicine for the Mind
• What Do We Mean by “Brain Health”?
• How Exercise Transforms the Brain
  • Stimulates Neurogenesis: Growing New Brain Cells
  • Boosts BDNF: Fertilizer for the Brain
  • Enhances Neuroplasticity: Rewiring and Adapting
  • Reduces Inflammation & Aids Metabolism
• What the Research Shows About Exercise and Brain Health
• Types of Exercise for Brain Health
  • Aerobic Exercise (Cardio)
  • Strength Training
  • Mind–Body Movement
  • Coordination & Skill-Based Movement
• How Much Do You Need?
• Movement as a Therapeutic Tool
• How Scent Can Enhance Exercise Effects
• Bringing It All Together

 

What Do We Mean by “Brain Health”?

Brain health is multifaceted and dynamic. It includes several dimensions that are pliable and influenced by a variety of factors. How healthy our brain is impacts our ability to participate in life and affects our:

• Cognitive health: memory, attention, and executive function
• Emotional and mental health: mood, resilience, and our response to stress
• Motor function: coordination, balance, and ease of movement
• Biological function: our brain interprets, integrates, and influences the actions of our body systems
• Social and behavioral interactions: our ability to relate to others and our habits

Our capacity to think, remember, focus and optimize our brain health is far from fixed. Research shows that lifestyle practices like movement, learning, and social connection can preserve — and even enhance — these abilities over time (Safaeipour al., 2026).

Memory is particularly responsive to exercise. Studies have found that movement influences the hippocampus, a brain region essential for forming and storing memories. This effects how we maintain and improve our recall of things as we age (Erickson et al., 2011).

Brain function and emotional wellbeing are also deeply intertwined and impacted by exercise. It has been shown that moving your body and engaging with others helps regulate mood and reduces anxiety and depression. (Cotman & Berchtold, 2002, (Phillips, 2017)

These are crucial pieces of whole-person care. As a result, in integrative medicine we often say, “movement as medicine.”

 

The Science Beyond How Exercise Transforms the Brain

Now that we understand the intricate connection between moving our body and brain health, it puts a whole new spin on “mind-body medicine.” Every time we engage in activity, we are actively shaping and strengthening our brains.

Below is an overview of some of the key findings on how movement impacts brain health. As researchers continue to explore this link, their science further validates that movement influences brain function in powerful and exciting ways.

1. Stimulates Neurogenesis: Growing New Brain Cells

Exercise has been found to stimulate neurogenesis, the making of new brain cells. It especially has a strong influence on our hippocampus, our memory center. This means with every movement, we are not just preserving brain cells—we’re creating new ones that assist with recall and learning (Erickson et al., 2011).

2. Boosts BDNF: Fertilizer for the Brain

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is often called the “fertilizer” for your brain. It supports neuron survival, growth, repair, and synaptic plasticity, the neural pathways our brains use to communicate. Exercise has been found to be one of the most effective ways to increase BDNF levels, helping to “rewire the brain” for learning, memory, and resilience (Phillips, 2017).

3. Enhances Neuroplasticity: Rewiring and Adapting New Brain Pathways

Neuroplasticity is your brain’s ability to adapt and form new connections. Movement strengthens neural pathways, not just by boosting BDNF, but also by improving communication between brain regions. This not only supports cognitive function, it also assists recovery from stress, emotional trauma, and injury (Safaeipour et al., 2026, Stillman et al., 2016, Phillips, 2017).

4. Reduces Inflammation & Aids Metabolism

From a functional medicine lens, chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction are root contributors to cognitive decline. Exercise has been found to lower neuroinflammation, improve insulin sensitivity, and support mitochondrial function. This creates a brain environment that’s resilient and less vulnerable to neurodegeneration (Safaeipour et al., Ratey & Loehr, 2011).

 

Broadening the View: Summarizing Human Research on How Movement Impacts Brain Health

The research is remarkably consistent about how exercise impacts cognitive and neurological processes. Below is a list from several comprehensive studies or reviews on the link between exercise and brain health in human and mechanistic studies.

• Regular physical activity has been shown to improve memory, attention, executive function, and processing speed (Safaeipour et al., Hillman et al., 2008).
• Neuroimaging studies have revealed physical changes in brain structure and function as a result of exercise (Safaeipour et al., 2026, Cotman & Berchtold, 2002, Basso & Suzuki, 2017).
• Short-term interventions of acute “exercise snacks”—just weeks to months—have produced measurable cognitive benefits (Mandolesi et al., 2018).
• Long-term, consistent movement has been linked to reduced risk of neurodegenerative diseases and improved mood and emotional regulation (Smith et al., 2010).

In clinical practice, movement shouldn’t be viewed as a chore, but a nourishing practice that is foundational to wellness. Thankfully, there are a variety of types of exercise we can choose from that can be an pleasurable way to have impact on our brain.

 

Types of Exercise for Brain Health

A question I often hear from my clients is, “What kind of exercise is best for my brain?”

The answer is always, whatever one you enjoy and will do.

For those overachievers, the research shows that if you can incorporate a combination of different types, your brain will be at its best. Below is a review of the several types of exercise, examples of each, and how they individually influence brain health.

1. Aerobic Exercise (Cardio)

Aerobic exercise is the most studied movement form for brain health. Examples include walking, running, cycling, swimming, and cardio classes. It has been shown to support memory, enhance blood flow to the brain, and stimulate hippocampal growth (Erickson et al., 2011).

2. Strength Training

Strength training can include weights, resistance bands, or bodyweight exercises. It benefits executive function, hormonal balance, and metabolic health. Strength training also releases various chemical mediators, including myokines (e.g., BDNF, irisin, IL-6). These are signaling molecules that positively influence the brain, regulate metabolism, regulate inflammation, and assist with recovery and repair (Safaeipour et al.).

3. Mind–Body Movement

Mind-body movement consists of ancient practices that have been used for centuries to connect the mind with the body. Examples include yoga, Qigong, and tai-chi. These techniques have been found to aid stress reduction, emotional regulation, and nervous system balance. Research also shows mind-body practices can increase BDNF, enhance cognitive function in older adults, and even alter neurobiological connectivity (Han et al., 2023; Zhang et al., 2015; You & Ogawa, 2020).

4. Coordination & Skill-Based Movement

Coordination and skill-based activities challenge the brain uniquely by combining movement with learning. They include dancing, most sports, martial arts, and balance training. Studies show they enhance neuroplasticity, cognitive flexibility, and motor-brain integration (Safaeipour et al., Cotman & Berchtold, 2002).

 

How Much Movement Do You Need?

The latest U.S. guidelines have reaffirmed that 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic activity (or 75 minutes vigorous) plus 2 days of strength training supports overall health, including brain function (CDC, 2025).

Yet we are finding increasingly that even short bouts count can to boosts focus, mood, and mental clarity. This includes a 10–15-minute walk between meals or some bodyweight movements between tasks.

Yet, I always tell my clients, the key is consistency over perfection. Regular, achievable, and joyful movement is what will ultimately benefit your body and mind the most.

 

Movement as a Therapeutic Tool

As a naturopathic and functional medicine practitioner, I always have in the back of my mind this guiding thought: “What are the root causes of this person’s imbalance(s), and how can I gently support the body’s innate capacity to be restored and heal?”

When my clients choose to engage in regular, intentional movement, they are supporting many of the underlying factors that influence brain health, including:

• Chronic inflammation
• Blood sugar balance and metabolic stability
• The stress response and nervous system regulation
• Neurotransmitter balance and communication
• Emotional regulation

Rather than targeting just one pathway, movement works in a beautifully integrated way, supporting overall health and assisting with re-balancing the mind-body. From this perspective, movement is viewed as much more than exercise, it is a way to nurture and nourish the whole system.

Exercise is one of the few interventions, along with aromatherapy, that can simultaneously benefit the various interconnected systems involved in brain health (Safaeipour et al., 2026).

 

How Scent Can Enhance Exercise Effects

An often-overlooked layer of exercise performance is the role of sensory input—particularly scent—in influencing both physiology and perception. Emerging research suggests that peppermint oil can enhance aspects of physical performance, respiratory efficiency, and cognitive function when used before or during exercise.

Several studies have found that peppermint oil can improve markers such as time to exhaustion, power output, and oxygen utilization. Additional studies also indicate that it improved grip strength, jump performance, reaction time, and lung function (peak inspiratory and expiratory flow rates).

This makes this minty oil a subtle but effective way to enhance both the physical and neurological benefits of movement. It is a simple, natural tool I often incorporate to help patients feel more energized, focused, and resilient during their workouts.

Scent can also aid exercise recovery via the nervous system. Olfactory pathways are intimately connected with the limbic system, meaning that inhaled compounds can influence stress physiology, emotional state, and autonomic balance in real time. Some oils such as lavender and ylang ylang have also been shown to reduce cortisol and improve vagal tone and HRV (heart rate variability), which is essential for repairing after workouts.

Aromatherapy has so many other benefits for brain health, it’s a “no-brainer” to incorporate them with movement.

 

Bringing It All Together

If nutrition holds the key nourishment to enhance brain health and function, then movement is the activation signal to nurture it. It supports brain growth, adapatability, repair, cognitive function, and resiliency.

And importantly—exercise doesn’t have to be extreme to be effective. Start where you are:

• A walk outside
• Gentle strength work
• A few minutes of stretching or yoga

Later on, you may discover you are craving more variety and find that you enjoy mixing cardio with strength training, coordination, and mind-body activities.

Additionally, you can further enhance your workouts and boost your brain by incorporating your senses. Peppermint, whether inhaled or applied as an essential oil, can naturally enhance focus, energy, and physical performance, making workouts more effective and enjoyable.

Small, consistent actions can create a meaningful change over time—supporting not just how you feel, but how you think, move, and live each day.

For more detailed guidance, additional references, and an expanded explanation of how to further support brain resilience through nutrition, read my full guide on brain nutrition and resilience here and access my Brain Health Supplement Protocol here.

If you’re feeling called to explore brain health more deeply, I’d be honored to have you subscribe to my newsletter, join my community, and/or explore my other resources. If you sign-up, you’ll also be the first to hear when my upcoming Brain Health Reset program launches.

 

References 

1. Safaeipour C, Sherzai D, Zikria B. Exercise and brain health: an expert review. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2026. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12788999/
2. Erickson KI, Voss MW, Prakash RS, et al. Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011;108(7):3017-3022. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1015950108
3. Cotman CW, Berchtold NC. Exercise: a behavioral intervention to enhance brain health and plasticity. Trends Neurosci. 2002;25(6):295-301. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12086747/
4. Ratey JJ, Loehr JE. The positive impact of physical activity on cognition during adulthood. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2011;13(1):45-52. https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/rns.2011.017/html
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7. Basso JC, Suzuki WA. The Effects of Acute Exercise on Mood, Cognition, Neurophysiology, and Neurochemical Pathways: A Review. Brain Plast. 2017 Mar 28;2(2):127-152. doi: 10.3233/BPL-160040. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5928534/
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