intense exercise

Q: What is exercise intensity?

A: In simplest terms, it's how hard an exercise is at a point in time. The technical definition is the level of momentary exertion during exercise.

Q: Why is it important?

A: Exercise of sufficient intensity is necessary to stimulate the body to make a change. When the body is worked beyond what it is equipped to handle, the body adapts as a form of self-protection.

From this study Neural Biochemical Levels Increase With Exercise comes a very interesting result:

“Levels of a naturally-produced chemical that promotes brain health increase proportionally to the intensity of exercise, according to a joint research project between the Departments of Physiology and Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences at Texas Tech.”