Cognitive Load Impacts Exercise

Researchers were interested in the impact of mental fatigue on the capacity to exercise in athletes. 

With a group of 12 male and female participants, researchers performed 2 experiments.  The control group watched neutral videos and the cognitive load group participated in a 90-minute mental task requiring identification of letter sequences.  In the first experiment, all participants did weightlifting and in the second experiment, all participants did a cycling time trial after the videos or mental tasks. 

For both weightlifting and cycling, the mental task group reported an increase in their perceived exertion, meaning that the exercise felt more difficult to accomplish.  For the cycling experiment, the mental task impaired cycling performance.  For athletes, the researchers recommended that coaches limit exposure to mentally challenging tasks during training and competitions, including smart phone use.

Takeaway:  Mentally challenging work is likely to make it more difficult to exercise and may reduce your exercise performance.  You may want to consider this when planning what days and times to exercise.

Sources

Walter Staiano, et al., Mental Fatigue: The Cost of Cognitive Loading on Weight Lifting, Resistance Training, and Cycling Performance, Int. J. Sports Physiol. Perform., Jan 1, 2023, Mental Fatigue: The Cost of Cognitive Loading on Weight Lifting, Resistance Training, and Cycling Performance - PubMed (nih.gov).

Beck Lockwood, Mental Fatigue can Impair Physical Performance, Neuroscience News, Mar 13, 2023, Mental Fatigue Can Impair Physical Performance - Neuroscience News.

#brainhealth #mentalstrength #professionalbrain #lawyerbrain #lawyerwellbeing