First, the evidence: Researchers at the University of IIlinois asked 21 students to memorize a string of letters and then pick them out from a
list flashed at them. As the New York Times reports, before taking the memorization test a second time, the students were asked to do one of three things
for 30 minutes  sit quietly, run on a treadmill or lift weights. The researchers found that the students who ran were
quicker and more accurate on the retest than were the students who sat quietly or those who lifted weights.
Wait, there’s more. The Times also reports on research conducted at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan,where scientists had two groups of mice swim a water maze and in a separate
trial had them endure an unpleasant stimulus to see how quickly they
would learn to move away from it. For the next four weeks they allowed
one group of mice to run inside their rodent wheels, while requiring the other group to push harder on
minitreadmills at a speed and duration controlled by the scientists. When they tested the mice again, they found that both groups of performed well in the water maze,
but only the
treadmill runners were better in the avoidance task, which demands a more complicated cognitive
response. The Times reports that the mice who raced on the treadmills showed evidence of molecular
changes in their brains, while the voluntary wheel-runners had changes in only one
area.
I’m not sure this is better?
Exercise in all forms is good for our body. But aerobic exercise gives additional psychological benefits along with the physical benefits. Aerobic exercise involves heavy movement of your body parts which your heart pumping faster and increases your oxygen intake. Running, cycling, fast walking, circuit training, skiing, rollerblading and dynamic yoga are some fine examples of aerobic exercise. Apart from the physical benefits like weight loss, better skin and muscle tone; aerobic exercise also gives psychological benefits.
http://healthfreak2.wordpress.com/2009/10/09/benefits-of-aerobic-exercise/