By now, we’ve all seen the studies that tout the benefits of regular cardiovascular exercise.  The one that always catches my eye is the “increased in cognitive function and memory.”  Although I’m no where near the age of testing this theory… I’ll for now believe that it’s true.  All those punchy old women, that walked to get their groceries, yeah – there’s probably a reason why they all live to give you lip and tell you “how it was in the old days.”

But I have yet to experience this.  Nope.  I get stupid with exercise.

Again, this has been supported with good evidence.  The higher our exertion during exercise, the less that we’re able to ‘think well’.  There’s a direct inverse relationship between percentage of VO2 max and memory, that usually goes away about 1-2 hours after hard exercise.  Our memory plummets, our fine motor skills degrade and decision ability deteriorate…. and I experienced this all today on my long ride.

I crashed 3 times in the last 30 minutes of my ride today.

Yeah, I was a bit tired… yes, it was a longer ride that I was used to… and now, I have the scratches and bruises to show for my lack of cognitive ability!  I ride this route all the time, but suddenly I forgot that there was a ravine to hop and that the trail was loose due to the recent rains.

I guess my only choice is to get fitter so that I don’t get so close to maximal exertion!!