How To Get Fit Before Any Exam

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

 

Your Brain and Body Operate as One

How can I enhance my cognitive performance? Ambitious individuals often ask themselves this question time and again.

And each time science has come up with the answers to that question, with physical fitness being featured prominently.

So, if attention, learning, and memory are related to and can be improved with physical fitness, shouldn’t you try to keep fit as you prepare for your exam?

 

Exercise boosts memory and concentration

When there is a lower oxygen level in your blood, your ability to focus declines. The result is that it becomes harder to take in new information and remember what you have already studied.

Doing just a moderate workout session increases your heartbeat and, subsequently, the amount of oxygen in your blood, thereby boosting brain activity.

New studies also show that cardio workouts could have the ability to grow new brain cells responsible for memory and thinking.

That then means that candidates that have a workout slotted in their daily routines have a better chance of doing well.

These individuals stand to perform better in terms of memory and reasoning.

 

Sleep better after a workout

One of the requirements in a sound preparation schedule is getting adequate rest. Getting enough rest boosts your overall health and guarantees that you will be alert on the exam day.

New evidence also reveals that sleep improves memory.

So, if you find yourself turning and tossing in bed after an hour of reading at night, the problem could be that you badly need a workout. 

What will happen the next day is that, due to your sleep deprivation, you will have little memory of what you studied previously.

You can stop that vicious cycle of sleep deprivation and poor memory by throwing a workout within your schedule.

When you (properly) wear yourself out, falling asleep is easy. Studies show that subjects who worked out for 18 hours a week had better sleep quality; they fell asleep fast and slept soundly through the night.

They also reported feeling less fatigued and having a better ability to concentrate when they were awake.

 

You study more when you’re in a good mood

For some candidates, study sessions are a psychological battle. There are constant discouraging whispers in your head telling you that you won’t make it.

You look at the voluminous amounts of materials you have to study, and you feel overwhelmed. Stop. You can win this battle in your mind by working out!

When you exercise, your body unleashes feel-good hormones that stabilize and improve your mood. Positive energy makes everything possible and achievable.

You will be able to focus better, understand quicker, and recall more of what you commit in your mind.

Caffeine could have the same feel-good effect as exercise, but remember that there are side effects to it, including anxiety. You don’t want to be jittery when you enter the testing room.

You need to be calm and composed, and only a workout, proper rest and adequate preparation can give you that.

 

Stay Fit with these Proven Techniques

 

Eat a balanced diet

You need the right amount of calories to sustain your body throughout the many hours of studying. Remember, too, that an hour-long exam is like a full marathon sprint.

Your brain needs the energy to think, process, recall, analyze, and do everything to get you past the pass rate required.

Your body, on the other hand, needs physical stamina to sustain you through the groundwork and the test. Stick to a balanced diet to supply your brain and body with their energy requirements.

Avoid high sugar snacks, for even though they provide a temporary boost in energy, they can lead to an unbearable crash in the end.

Stick to food items that release a sustainable amount of energy over time, including oat-based foods, fruits, nuts, and whole grains.

On the other hand, seafood packs omega-3 fatty acids and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) both of which are known to be cognitive enhancing nutrients.

 

Play a sport

You can get a great physical workout while doing something you love. It could be playing tennis, cycling or swimming. These activities strengthen various muscles in your body and help to alleviate your stress levels.

When you settle down to study after that, you will have the motivation and the physical stamina to sit through more hours. Playing sports also helps to manage body fat.

The activities also increase your flexibility and range of motion.

In the process, your energy levels increase, and you also learn a few things about discipline and consistency that will come in handy in your efforts.

 

Take the stairs

You are not saving time when you take the elevator. You are ignoring a chance to work out your legs and back muscles.

With all the sitting that you have been doing all day at work or school, the least you could do for your body is to take the stairs whenever going up or down a building.

Briskly walk up those flights if you can and see just how the simple activity releases bouts of energy that will draw you into wanting to do more about your physical fitness.

Walking up the stairs elevates your heart rate and improves blood circulation. Improved blood circulation means that more oxygen reaches the brain for its many functions.

As that happens, your body burns calories and releases those feel-good hormones. Additionally, you develop stronger joints and muscles.

 

Walk some more

What do you do during your study break? Walking is one of the many ways to ‘slap two flies with one hand.’ 

When you take a study break, you give your brain some rest and allow it to improve focus and concentration by a change of scenery.

You can do that as you walk and burn some calories in the process.

Walking can just be as impactful as running if you do it right. Only, in this case, you will not have a ravaging appetite to eat a load of fries after that.

You will also not have to change into running gear or get into the shower immediately after that.

Walking saves you all the troubles, but still builds your body strength and catalyzes better cognitive performance.

 

Stand up

The amount of time you spend sitting in a day is much more harmful that many realize. Research shows that sitting for long increases your risk for chronic heart diseases and deteriorates your mental health.

You want to be physically and mentally up to the task when you walk into that test room. And. you can help your situation by standing more.

We suggest the adoption of standing desks at the office, along with standing meetings.

Make yourself a stand-up-friendly study room by having notes pinned on the wall, and tables where you can quickly go through your materials without sitting.

Compared to sitting, standing burns 1.3X more calories every minute!

 

Do squats everyday

You can take an average of five to ten minutes to complete 50 squats. There are many variations to squats that you can adopt for your personalized workout routine.

Throw in some plank jacks, mountain climbers, and bicycle crunches. If you can, finish one hundred squats in one session (3 sets of 33 repetitions).

If that’s too hard for you, do half of that in the morning and the other half in the evening.

You don’t need time to hit the gym to do the squatting exercise. It is a space-efficient routine that also requires no equipment. Squats build your legs and core strength as well as improving your flexibility and mobility.

 

Do as many push-ups as you can

Push-ups are among the easiest to hack fitness routines for those short on time. All you need is ten minutes after you wake up or before you hit the shower. 

Pick a number that you would consider insane and divide it into four sets to make things easier. Go for it! Keep resting at a minimal between the sets.

They build your chest and arms and can also tone your core and glutes.

 

Jog in the morning

One other way to get some physical workout without blowing up your schedule is an early morning jog. A low-impact jogging session will elevate your heart rate and strengthen your cardiac health.

This aerobic exercise also leads to better mood and high energy levels thought the day. Because jogging gets your entire body moving, it burns a high amount of calories and strengthens various muscles.

The improved physical strength from these exercises also improves your endurance levels. You’ll have a better chance of studying for longer hours without feeling fatigued or losing focus.

 

In the End

It’s critical to stay physically fit as you prepare for your upcoming financial risk manager examination. Physical fitness and cognitive performance are tied at the hip.

Endeavor, therefore, to find a physical activity that you love to do and stick to it. Schedule your workout time as you plan for your work appointments and study sessions.

Thanks for reading! Here are some important links for you to consider in your journey:

 

Get it done,

The QuestionBank Family