What if I told you there was something that you can do right now that would have an immediate, positive benefit for your brain including your mood and your focus? And what if I told you that same thing could actually last a long time and protect your brain from different conditions like depression, Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Would you do it? Yes!
如果我告訴你有件事你馬上去做的話就會對你的大腦，包括情緒和專注力立刻產生積極作用？如果我告訴你它可長期維持並保護你的大腦免受如抑鬱、老年痴呆或是失智症等不同病況的侵襲。你會願意去做這件事嗎？願意！
I am talking about the powerful effects of physical activity. Simply moving your body, has immediate, long-lasting and protective benefits for your brain. And that can last for the rest of your life. So what I want to do today is tell you a story about how I used my deep understanding of neuroscience,
我所說的就是體育運動的強大效果。簡單地讓你的身體動起來，就能夠對你的大腦產生即時的和長期的保護功效。而且可以持續一生的時間。所以我今天想要分享一個故事，關於我如何使用我所深度理解的神經科學，
as a professor of neuroscience, to essentially do an experiment on myself in which I discovered the science underlying why exercise is the most transformative thing that you can do for your brain today. Now, as a neuroscientist, I know that our brains, that is the thing in our head right now, that is the most complex structure known to humankind.
作為一名神經科學教授，我在自己身上做了一項實驗，在這個實驗中我發現了為什麼運動最易轉化成對你的大腦有益的東西。作為一名神經科學家，我知道我們的大腦，就是我們腦袋中的東西，是對人類所知的最為複雜的結構。
But it's one thing to talk about the brain, and it's another to see it. So here is a real preserved human brain. And it's going to illustrate two key areas that we are going to talk about today. The first is the prefrontal cortex, right behind your forehead, critical for things like decision-making, focus, attention and your personality.
但是談論大腦，和親眼看到它是兩件事。這是一個真實保存的人類大腦。它會展示我們今天所要討論的兩個關鍵部分。第一部分是前額皮層，就在你額頭後面，對做決定、專注力、注意力及性格等至關重要。
The second key area is located in the temporal lobe, shown right here. You have two temporal lobes in your brain, the right and the left, and deep in the temporal lobe is a key structure critical for your ability to form and retain new long-term memories for facts and events.
第二個重要的區域是在顳葉，右邊這裡。在大腦裡有兩個顳葉，右邊一個左邊一個，在顳葉深處有一個非常關鍵的結構，它對你的能力至關重要。能夠形成和保存對事實、事件的長期記憶。
And that structure is called the hippocampus. So I've always been fascinated with the hippocampus. How could it be that an event that lasts just a moment, say, your first kiss, or the moment your first child was born, can form a memory that has changed your brain, that lasts an entire lifetime?
它被稱作海馬體。我一直對海馬體非常著迷。一件短暫的事情，比如說，你的初吻，或者你第一個孩子誕生的時刻，如何形成一個能夠改變你的大腦且持續終生的記憶？
That's what I want to understand. I wanted to start and record the activity of individual brain cells in the hippocampus as subjects were forming new memories. And essentially try and decode how those brief bursts of electrical activity, which is how neurons communicate with each other, how those brief bursts either allowed us to form a new memory, or did not.
這是我想要去弄明白的。我想要去開始記錄當形成新的記憶的時候，海馬體中每個單獨細胞活動。從本質上嘗試解碼這些電流活動的短暫爆發，這是神經元相互交流的方式，這些短暫的爆發或讓我們形成一段新的記憶，或沒有。
But a few years ago, I did something very unusual in science. As a full professor of neural science, I decided to completely switch my research program. Because I encountered something that was so amazing, with the potential to change so many lives that I had to study it.
但是幾年之前，我做了一些科學界中很少見的實驗。作為一個神經科學的全職教授，我決定完全扭轉我的研究計劃。因為我遇到了如此神奇的事物，它有可能改變眾多人的生命，我必須要去研究它。
I discovered and I experienced the brain-changing effects of exercise. And I did it in a completely inadvertent way. I was actually at the height of all the memory work that I was doing -- data was pouring in, I was becoming known in my field for all of this memory work.
我發現並親身經歷了運動對大腦的改變。而且是一種完全"無心插柳柳成蔭"的方式。事實上當時我正處於所有記憶工作的最高點——數據如潮水般湧入，因為記憶研究工作，我在那一領域正在聲名鵲起。
And it should have been going great. It was, scientifically. But when I stuck my head out of my lab door, I noticed something. I had no social life. I spent too much time listening to those brain cells in a dark room, by myself. I didn't move my body at all. I had gained 25 pounds.
它可以變得更出色，從科學角度來講，它正是如此。但當我在實驗室外時，我注意到一件事，那就是我沒有社交生活。我花費了太多時間傾聽那些腦細胞上，在黑暗的屋子裡，獨自一人。我完全不運動。我已經長胖了25磅。
And actually, it took me many years to realize it, I was actually miserable. And I shouldn't be miserable. And I went on a river-rafting trip -- by myself, because I had no social life. And I came back -- thinking, "Oh, my God, I was the weakest person on that trip." And I came back with a mission.
事實上，我花費了很多年才意識到這個問題。我當時是很糟糕的，而我本不該如此。我自己一個人去做了一次漂流，因為我沒朋友啊。然後當我回來後——想著，「天哪， 我是那趟旅程最弱的一個。」我回來後給自己下了一個任務。
I said, "I'm never going to feel like the weakest person on a river-rafting trip again." And that's what made me go to the gym. And I focused my type-A personality on going to all the exercise classes at the gym. I tried everything. I went to kickbox, dance, yoga, step class, and at first it was really hard.
我對自己說，「我再也不要這種感受，再也不要做一個漂流之中最弱的那個。」這個想法促使我走進了健身房。我的A型人格促使我嘗試了健身房所有運動。我嘗試了一切。我做了拳擊訓練，舞蹈，瑜伽，踏步教程，開始的時候確實很難。
But what I noticed is that after every sweat-inducing workout that I tried, I had this great mood boost and this great energy boost. And that's what kept me going back to the gym. Well, I started feeling stronger. I started feeling better, I even lost that 25 pounds.
但我注意到每一次汗水揮灑後，我的情緒都變得非常好，精力也更好。那促使我一直不斷走進健身房。然後我開始感受到自己變得強壯。我感受非常好，甚至還減掉了那25磅。
And now, fast-forward a year and a half into this regular exercise program and I noticed something that really made me sit up and take notice. I was sitting at my desk, writing a research grant, and a thought went through my mind that had never gone through my mind before.
現在，自我經常去參加運動後已經一年半過去了，我注意到有些東西值得我坐下來記錄。當時我正坐在桌旁，寫著一份研究基金申請，一個想法突然從腦海冒出來，此前我從未這樣想過。
And that thought was, "Gee, grant-writing is going well today." And all the scientists -- yeah, all the scientists always laugh when I say that, because grant-writing never goes well. It is so hard; you're always pulling your hair out, trying to come up with that million-dollar-winning idea.
這個想法就是，「天哪，申請材料今天寫的很順利嘛。」所有的科學家——對，所有科學家都會在我這樣說的時候大笑，因為基金申請寫作從來都不好寫。它太難了，你總是絞盡腦汁，試圖想出能夠贏得百萬美金的想法。
But I realized that the grant-writing was going well, because I was able to focus and maintain my attention for longer than I had before. And my long-term memory -- what I was studying in my own lab -- seemed to be better in me. And that's when I put it together.
但我意識到那次寫作很順利，因為我能夠專注地保持我的注意力比以前時間都要久。我的長期記憶——就是我實驗室裡研究的東西顯示也更好了。從那時起我將它們聯繫在一起。
Maybe all that exercise that I had included and added to my life was changing my brain. Maybe I did an experiment on myself without even knowing it. So as a curious neuroscientist, I went to the literature to see what I could find about what we knew about the effects of exercise on the brain.
或許我所有的運動都在改變我的大腦。或許我在自己沒有意識到的情況下對我自己進行了一項實驗。作為一個好奇的神經學家，我去文獻裡面查找現有已知的關於運動對於大腦的影響。
And what I found was an exciting and a growing literature that was essentially showing everything that I noticed in myself. Better mood, better energy, better memory, better attention. And the more I learned, the more I realized how powerful exercise was. Which eventually led me to the big decision to completely shift my research focus.
我發現一項讓人欣喜的且正在增長的文獻記載記載了幾乎所有發生在我身上的事。更好的情緒、精力、記憶力和專注力。我所了解越多，我就越認識到運動的魅力，這也指引我做了一個重大決定來完全扭轉我的研究方向。
And so now, after several years of really focusing on this question, I've come to the following conclusion: that exercise is the most transformative thing that you can do for your brain today for the following three reasons. Number one: it has immediate effects on your brain.
現在，經過幾年對這個問題的專注研究，我得到了以下結論：運動是當下你所能做的對大腦最好的最具轉化性的東西，有以下三個原因：原因一：它對你的大腦有立刻的影響。
A single workout that you do will immediately increase levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline. That is going to increase your mood right after that workout, exactly what I was feeling. My lab showed that a single workout can improve your ability to shift and focus attention, and that focus improvement will last for at least two hours.
你所做的每一點運動都會立刻提升你神經遞質的水平，像是海馬體、血清素和去甲腎上腺素。所以它會立馬提升你的情緒，就像我所體會到的。我的實驗顯示，單個短暫的運動可以提升你轉移和集中注意力的能力，這種提升可以持續至少兩個小時。
And finally, studies have shown that a single workout will improve your reaction times which basically means that you are going to be faster at catching that cup of Starbucks that falls off the counter, which is very, very important. But these immediate effects are transient, they help you right after.
最後，研究還顯示，運動本身可以提高你的反應時間，這意味著你在接星巴克杯子的時候更迅速，如果它掉下櫃檯的話，這一點可以說是相當重要了。但是這些直接影響都是短暫的，它們只能幫你一時。
What you have to do is do what I did, that is change your exercise regime, increase your cardiorespiratory function, to get the long-lasting effects. And these effects are long-lasting because exercise actually changes the brain's anatomy, physiology and function. Let's start with my favorite brain area, the hippocampus.
你所需要做的是像我一樣，改變你的鍛鍊習慣，增強你的心肺功能，來取得長期的效果。這些效果之所以能夠長期有用是因為運動改變了大腦的解剖結構，生理機能和功能。讓我們從我最喜歡的大腦區域開始，海馬體。
The hippocampus -- or exercise actually produces brand new brain cells, new brain cells in the hippocampus, that actually increase its volume, as well as improve your long-term memory, OK? And that including in you and me. Number two: the most common finding in neuroscience studies, looking at effects of long-term exercise, is improved attention function dependent on your prefrontal cortex.
海馬體——或者說是運動實際上能夠產生全新的腦細胞，海馬體中的全新腦細胞能夠增加它的數量，同時提升你的長期記憶力。這些對你我都適用。原因二：在神經科學研究中最常見的發現是長期運動的影響，它能夠單獨提升你的注意力或是你的前額皮層。
You not only get better focus and attention, but the volume of the hippocampus increases as well. And finally, you not only get immediate effects of mood with exercise but those last for a long time. So you get long-lasting increases in those good mood neurotransmitters.
你不僅能夠得到更好的專注力，同時也增加了你的海馬體數量。最後一點是你不僅能夠獲得即時的愉悅心情，這種情緒還能夠維持較長的時間。所以你獲得的是能夠長期存在的情緒轉化神經元。
But really, the most transformative thing that exercise will do is its protective effects on your brain. Here you can think about the brain like a muscle. The more you're working out, the bigger and stronger your hippocampus and prefrontal cortex gets. Why is that important?
但實際上，運動所做的最具變革意義的事情是它對於大腦的保護作用。你可以將大腦想像成是一塊肌肉。你運動的越多，你的海馬體和前額皮層就越大越強壯。為什麼這一點很重要呢？
Because the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus are the two areas that are most susceptible to neurodegenerative diseases and normal cognitive decline in aging.
因為前額皮層和海馬體是最易神經退化疾病影響的兩個區域，並容易隨著年齡增長認知能力下降。
So with increased exercise over your lifetime, you're not going to cure dementia or Alzheimer's disease, but what you're going to do is you're going to create the strongest, biggest hippocampus and prefrontal cortex so it takes longer for these diseases to actually have an effect.
所以增加運動量，你不僅能夠預防痴呆和阿茲海默綜合症，你更能夠創造最強壯有力的海馬體和前額皮層，所以能夠更有效低於這些疾病。
You can think of exercise, therefore, as a supercharged 401K for your brain, OK? And it's even better, because it's free. So this is the point in the talk where everybody says, "That sounds so interesting, Wendy, but I really will only want to know one thing. And that is, just tell me the minimum amount of exercise I need to get all these changes."
因此，你可以把運動想像成是為你的大腦額外提供的401退休金計劃，對不對？而且更棒的是，它是免費的。所以重點來了，大家都會說，「這聽起來很不錯啊，溫蒂，但我事實上只想知道一件事。告訴我吧，運動的最低量是多少，如果我想要實現你所說的這些變化。」
And so I'm going to tell you the answer to that question. First, good news: you don't have to become a triathlete to get these effects. The rule of thumb is you want to get three to four times a week exercise minimum 30 minutes an exercise session, and you want to get aerobic exercise in. That is, get your heart rate up.
我馬上就會給出答案。首先，好消息是：你不需要參加鐵人三項才能獲得這些改變。首要的原則是你需每周運動三到四次，每次最低30分鐘，要包含有氧運動。這樣能夠讓你的心率加快。
And the good news is, you don't have to go to the gym to get a very expensive gym membership. Add an extra walk around the block in your power walk. You see stairs -- take stairs. And power-vacuuming can be as good as the aerobics class that you were going to take at the gym.
還有一個好消息是你不需要走進健身房來辦一張昂貴的會員卡。在你能力範圍內在周邊街區多走一圈。如果見到臺階——就走走臺階。這些能量的聚集和有氧課程是一樣的就像你在健身房上的一樣。
So I've gone from memory pioneer to exercise explorer. From going into the innermost workings of the brain, to trying to understand how exercise can improve our brain function, and my goal in my lab right now is to go beyond that rule of thumb that I just gave you -- three to four times a week, 30 minutes.
所以我從記憶先鋒變成了運動探索者。從深入大腦內部的運作，到嘗試了解運動如何來提升大腦的性能，我現在的實驗室目標是超越我剛剛所給你們的首要原則——每周三到四次大於30分鐘。I want to understand the optimum exercise prescription for you, at your age, at your fitness level, for your genetic background, to maximize the effects of exercise today and also to improve your brain and protect your brain the best for the rest of your life. But it's one thing to talk about exercise, and it's another to do it.
我想要為你了解運動的最佳配方根據你們年齡，健身的情況，以及基因背景，來實現當前運動效果的最大化，同時為你的餘生來提升和保護你的大腦。但是知易行難，
So I'm going to invoke my power as a certified exercise instructor, to ask you all to stand up. We're going to do just one minute of exercise. It's call-and-response, just do what I do, say what I say, and make sure you don't punch your neighbor, OK? Music! Five, six, seven, eight, it's right, left, right, left. And I say, I am strong now. Let's hear you.
所以讓我來以一個認證運動教練的身份來呼籲你們，請大家起身。我們來做一個一分鐘的運動。名字叫「我說你應」，請做我所做，說我所說，當然確保你不要打到鄰座，準備好了嗎？音樂！五六七八，右左右左。現在我要說，我很強壯。請跟我重複。
Audience: I am strong now.
Wendy Suzuki: Ladies, I am Wonder Woman-strong. Let's hear you!
Audience: I am Wonder Woman-strong.
WS: New move -- uppercut, right and left. I am inspired now. You say it!
觀眾：我很強壯。
女士們，我是神奇女俠。請跟我重複。
觀眾：我是神奇女俠。
新動作——勾拳，右左。我激情澎湃。請跟我重複。
Audience: I am inspired now.
WS: Last move -- pull it down, right and left, right and left. I say, I am on fire now! You say it.
Audience: I am on fire now.
WS: And done! OK, good job!
觀眾：我激情澎湃。
最後一個——往下走，右左，右左。我在燃燒！跟我重複。
觀眾：我在燃燒。
好，做的很棒！
Thank you. I want to leave you with one last thought. And that is, bringing exercise in your life will not only give you a happier, more protective life today, but it will protect your brain from incurable diseases. And in this way it will change the trajectory of your life for the better.
謝謝。我想要和你們分享最後一點心得。把運動引入你的生活，不僅僅能夠給你一個更開心的、備受保護的當下生活，它還可以使你的大腦免受無法治癒的疾病侵襲。從而改變你人生的軌跡，讓它變得更好。Thank you very much. Thank you.