Does "Exercise" Benefit the "Brain"!?

I'm Makoto Okumura from the SPOLUTION team.
Today, I'd like to share a column that might pique the interest of sports enthusiasts.
In college, I spent all my time on sports and ended up repeating a year. After joining the company, I was assigned to the marketing division at the time. Twelve years have passed since then, and now I'm working flat out every day in a section where ideas are everything. People still ask me, "Can a sports nut like you really generate ideas?" But I'd like to share some scientific insights suggesting that exercise might be more powerful than we give it credit for.

 

Stress might be the enemy of ideas. No, it is the enemy!

The workplace is changing dramatically. The term "work-life balance" has been around for a while, and effectively separating work and personal time to live a rich life is an ideal lifestyle. But on the other hand, in a society demanding ideas, there's often no clear distinction between work and personal time. In reality, many people carry stress, and sitting at a desk all day in the office is also quite demanding.
Good ideas simply won't emerge in a stressful environment. How can we free ourselves from stress and create an environment that fosters good ideas? This might become increasingly important in how we work going forward.

Illustration: Takeshi Kuroiwa (Dentsu Inc., First CR Planning Bureau)

The Importance of "Break Time" to Eliminate Stress

What's needed at times like this is, without a doubt, a "break time."
For example, smoking allows both mind and body to take a break, as in "just a quick smoke." At the smoking area, communication naturally occurs with others present, sometimes sparking new ideas. It's a well-known phenomenon.

But what about non-smokers? They don't really have a common break time, do they? Personally, since I don't smoke, I've been thinking for a while about how to create that kind of break time for myself.
Recently, some companies even encourage naps. I think we're seeing the start of all kinds of breaks.

If "exercise is good for the brain," then why not have an "exercise break" too!

Personally, I've been swimming almost every morning at the pool since last summer. Initially, it was for dieting or health reasons. I did lose about 10 kilos, so it was effective.
But honestly, what was even better was that this morning exercise became a time to forget everything, clear my head completely, and truly break away. It refreshed both my mind and body.

Now, that's purely my subjective, experiential feeling. But actually, Professor Hideaki Seiya at the University of Tsukuba conducts research scientifically examining the relationship between muscles/exercise and the brain.

And according to Professor Seiya, he has proven that exercise activates the brain. What's more, he says this can be achieved with as little as two minutes of exercise.

Well, that's good to know!

In other words, in the future, athletes might not just be "exercise fanatics" but could become idea people.
Below is actual data from elementary schools demonstrating the relationship between exercise and academic performance.

Rikuzentakata City: Kesen Elementary School & Nagabe Elementary School - 2-Minute Jump Exercise

Relationship Between Children's Physical Fitness and Academic Performance

  Sporolution Launches "Office Po"!

Right now, training that makes good use of spare moments is showing a major trend in society.
Specialized 24-hour fitness centers are rising in popularity, and their numbers keep growing.
Yet, some people still find it hard to visit, and wouldn't it be great to have something even more accessible?
That's why we launched a new project.

Exercise benefits the brain.
When your body moves, your brain moves too.

Just 2 minutes is enough.
Turn your tired, stressful daily work into
can become more enjoyable and more idea-filled with just a little exercise.
Exercise will transform your work life.

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For example, working while sitting on a balance ball.
Or maybe tossing crumpled paper balls back and forth.
Maybe even a company ping pong game?
Eventually, we're even considering adding hopping exercises and punching machines.

Moving forward, with the support of Media Shakers' free magazine "R25," we aim to build an office fitness movement.
We're also developing an Office-po menu, and maybe even some merchandise?
We're cooking up all sorts of things!
What if you turned little everyday things into little exercises?
Your daily life might just change.
So, why not give Officepo a try?

Breathing is Office-po too?! from Ami Ito

I'm Aimi Ito, also from Sporolution. Okumura is the epitome of a sports club veteran, a model athlete both physically and mentally. On the other hand, I have zero athletic ability—actually, it's more like negative. People laugh at my funny running style, and whenever I throw a ball, everyone ends up holding their heads in despair.

But recently, I've been able to stick with yoga—basically an extension of stretching—and it feels amazing. It's even eased some old injuries, so I figured this wasn't just any ordinary thing and kept at it. Then, after talking with Dr. Seiya, I finally understood why it's so incredible. He explained that yoga's strength lies in its moderate intensity. The "breathing" emphasized in yoga is actually a form of light exercise for the body.

Just breathing in and out? Even someone as unathletic as me can do that! And to think that stimulates and activates the brain? That was incredibly encouraging.
So, combining the professional perspective of sportsman Okumura with the perspective of a sports novice like Ito, we aim to share office yoga that anyone can comfortably continue. We look forward to your support.

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★ What is the "Sporolution" Team?
We are an internal unit at Dentsu Inc. that approaches sports content not merely as "media assets," but as "solutions" to address business challenges and project objectives.
Our team includes diverse talents such as strategic planners, promotion planners, copywriters, art directors, technologists, consultants, and producers, all with extensive experience in sports planning. Through our Solution Director system, we provide not just "ideas for expression," but also "ideas for solutions" all under one roof.