Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris - How To Get A Fluffy Hippocampus With Wendy Suzuki Get Fit Sanely Listener Picks

Episode Date: January 11, 2026

We asked listeners to tell us about some of their favorite episodes from our Get Fit Sanely series, and we'll be bringing you some excerpts of those episodes on Fridays this month. Today, we're hearing from listener Cynthia who had a vivid takeaway from our episode on exercise and the brain with neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki.    Paid subscribers of DanHarris.com will have exclusive access to a set of all-new guided meditations, led by friend of the show Cara Lai, customized to accompany each episode of the Get Fit Sanely series. We're super excited to offer a way to help you put the ideas from the episodes into practice. Learn all about it here. Related Episodes: The Neuroscience of Exercise | Wendy Suzuki How To Take Care of Your Body Without Losing Your Mind Get Fit Sanely: the podcast playlist Join Dan's online community here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel   To advertise on the show, contact [e-mail] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris  

It's the 10% Happier Podcast. I'm Dan Harris. Hey, hey, happy Friday, everybody. As you may know, we just kicked off our month-long Get Fit Sainly series where we talk about how to take care of your body without losing your mind. This is the third year we've done this series. And we were really curious to hear how the previous episodes have affected your life. So we put out a call to our substact community over at Dan Harris.com. And we asked people to tell us about an episode. that really resonated with you and how it inspired you to make a change.

And we heard from a bunch of you guys. And so every Friday this month, we're going to hear some voice notes from you that will tee up some gems of wisdom from past Get Fit Sainly episodes. So the listener who suggested them will essentially be introducing them right here on the show. Our first listener was inspired by one of our guests

to get more exercise and not just for the benefit of her body, but also quite specifically her brain. Hi, Jen. My name is Cynthia. I just wanted to say how much I love your podcast. It's been a meaningful part of my life, especially since I began my grief journey in October of 2022. Listening to you and your guest has really helped me shape a new routine, when that's where mindful, grounded, and healthier overall. I especially enjoyed your episode with Dr. Wendy Sussiki. I loved how she explained the impact of movement on brain health, how exercise promotes the growth of new hippocampus health, and can actually make that part of the brain fluffier, which is such a vivid image. All I picture are hippos,

because why not? Her focus on the cognitive benefits of aerobic exercise and the value of group workouts really resonated with me. Since then, I've actually been incorporating some of those ideas into my own routine. So on my walks, I've started speedwalking and even jogging and intervals. I've never thought of myself as a runner, but then I asked myself, why not jog between walking stretches? I started pushing myself to go a little farther each time, and honestly, my dog loves it too. I'd also add that strength training, even at a moderate level, has been really important for me. I really don't want Bridal Bowens. Maybe it's because I'm in healthcare, and this is something that I track on the day-to-day,

but it's very important for me to incorporate strength training. So thanks again for all the work that you do. Your podcast continues to be a real companion on my person of road's journey. Take care. Bye. Thank you, Cynthia. I too want to fluff your hippocampus. Okay, so let's now hear part of that interview with Wendy Suzuki,

She explains what exercise that elevates your heart rate can do for your brain. So you say that the most transformative thing we can do for our brains right now is to exercise. Absolutely. Say more about that, please. Yes. So I think people don't realize what happens when you move your body. Every single time you move your body, there is a veritable waterfall of neurotransmitters and neurotransmitters and neurodiscay. chemicals that floods your brain. These include neurotransmitters that you've heard of before,

like dopamine and serotonin and noradrenaline and endorphins, but also maybe some neurochemicals that you have not heard of before, like growth factors. And this is the elixir that helps your brain perform today, grow tomorrow, and be protected long term from aging and neurodegenerative disease states. And that right there is why I say it is the most transformative thing that is moving your body is the most transformative thing that you can do for your brain today. This is fascinating. And I have a million follow-ups. You said something about growth factors. Did I hear that correctly? Yeah. Can you teach me a little bit more about that? Absolutely. So one of my personal motivations to do my workout every morning, which I do,

I wake up, I have my meditation over tea, and then I do about a 30-minute kind of cardio strength workout is because I know that workout that's getting my heart rate up will help my body release growth factors. And the one that's been studied the most is called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, BDNF. And it's released by muscles that are working. It's released by the liver that goes into exercise mode when you start to work out. And it's even released a little bit by fat cells. And so all of those growth factors release peripherally go through the blood-brain barrier. They go into your brain and they make a beeline for my very favorite brain structure in the whole brain called the hippocampus. The hippocampus is critical for our ability to learn and

retain new long-term memories for facts and events. And what those growth factors do is it makes shiny new hippocampal cells grow. And as a neuroscientist who's specialized in hippocampal function for the vast majority of my career, I am motivated by shiny new hippocampal cells growing in my hippocampus because it means my memory is better. It means my hippocampus is big and fat and fluffy. And there's exciting new evidence that the hippocampus is not only involved in memory. This is the historic, That's what all neuroscience psychology majors learn. But it's also involved in imagination. Putting things that we have in our brain together in new ways is a really important function

of the hippocampus. I want a really strong imagination. It also has affective functions. It affects our mood as well. It does a lot of really fascinating things. And that's what you get when you are literally watering your hippocampus with growth factors that comes with movement. aerobic movement that increases your heart rate.

So you made a nod there towards something that we should discuss, which is the specific forms of exercise that we should be focusing on. And let's also just keep in mind that some people don't have bodies that allow them to do all kinds of exercise. Yes, absolutely. So to that point, which is absolutely true, that not all of us have the bodies to do exercise. And some people say, yeah, I hate exercise. So therefore my body and my whole person isn't conducive to that directive. I would remind people that power walking is also a great way to get your heart rate up.

People tend to go immediately in their mind to triathlons and these marathon runners when I talk about aerobic exercise or exercise in general. And that is not the case. You can get a workout that gets your heart rate up without changing into expensive, fancy workout clothes and just doing your daily activities, including chasing around small kids. They can't be very aerobic. It is broader than people realize. And when people say, well, I don't have the body to do that, I'm always inspired when I watch Invictus games or special Olympics that encourage people of all body types to move in really inspiring ways. And you may not make

the Olympics. I will never make the Olympics. But it shows. that there are ways for people with any body type to move their bodies, whatever it is, and get their heart rates up. So it's not exclusive. This is an inclusive suggestion that you can use. Let's just drill down on walking for one second. Yeah.

You said power walking. What do you mean by that and is taking a 30-minute walk just at a stroll pace? Does that not count? So walking has been shown. to be effective, particularly for mood. There are many effects of exercise on the brain. We jumped into my favorite one,

which is using exercise to grow new hippocampal brain cells. That, of course, doesn't happen overnight. One power walk is not going to suddenly make your hippocampus big and fat and fluffy. This takes time. Cells in the brain or anywhere in our body take time to grow, and it takes regular watering of your hippocampus with those growth factors to get those hippocampus cells to grow. But if you want the immediate positive fix with moving your body, that comes with a stroll.

In fact, a 10-minute walk has been shown to significantly decrease anxiety and depression levels in people that are not in major depressive disorder. And that is a stroll. To get the long-term growth factor effect, you need to get your heart rate up. Does a general stroll get most people's heart rate up? No. And that's what I call a power walk. You've done it every time you're late and you don't really want to run, but you're trying to get there.

And it's a great way that you can add more aerobic activity to your everyday life. That, again, you can do it in your regular work shoes or regular everyday shoes as well. Much of our discussion thus far has dwelt upon cardio. Yes. So how do we think about weight training and strength training and also flexibility training like stretching and yoga? Yeah, yeah. So there is good evidence that yoga is great for mood states. Here's the thing. There's the most positive evidence that cardio workouts will get these long-term brain changes that we've been talking about. Growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus. We didn't talk about this yet, but the other brain area that is benefited from long-term exercise is the prefrontal cortex, critical for your ability to shift. and focus attention. That doesn't grow new brain cells. It tends to grow new synapses or connections between the brain cells that are there. And then everybody who loves weight training says,

well, what about weight training? I love weight training. And there's more mixed evidence that weight training can be beneficial. There's not nearly as many studies on weight training as there have been on aerobic exercise. So it could be that weight training sweet spot has not been found yet. Or it could be that weight training is helping your brain in as much as it increases your heart rate. So it's not that weight training that I do cardio weight training because I know I need the cardio for my bones at the age that I am. And I also know that it ups my cardio when I add weights to the workout. So for me, it's a win-win. If you like weights alone, it could be that that, well, I don't know. We're still trying to figure that out. I wouldn't say, don't do it. Keep that in your

exercise regimen because it's keeping you going to the gym. But we know the most about the benefits of aerobic exercise to give you those long-term brain benefits. I have a close friend. His name is Strauss Zelnick. And Strauss does these group workouts at his house. Well, he'll be a little bit. Well, He lives in the city. He moves between the city and the country is quite a successful businessman. In the city, he does these group workouts at a gym. And then on the weekends, when he's at his country house, which is near where our only house is, he does them at his house. And he does these group weight training, but stirk it workouts. So you're with a bunch of people and you're moving quite rapidly among a group, like you're a lat pull down or a bunch of pushups or some sort of abs stuff. And I find when I do that with him, I am kind of simultaneously getting a cardio workout because I'm moving so much so quickly. Yeah, absolutely. So it's not pure strength and pure cardio. There's a big mix in there. And so that's why it's unclear what exactly is going on in the weight training kind of studies that have been done. And I don't think it's been controlled well enough exactly how much your heart rate is changing with these strength workouts. And we know so many different workouts out there are a combo.

of both. So that's an important, unanswered question at this point. I'll say one thing. We'll come back to this, but just very quickly about the Strauss workouts that I've recently, I've known Strauss forever, only recently started really going to his organized workouts. The community aspect, the social support aspect of it, the fact that I'm looking forward to being with a bunch of people who I like, even though I just met them, although I've known Strauss forever, but a lot of his friends who also work out are new to me, but I really like them. and there's a lot of camaraderie and high-fiving. And that is massively motivating for me.

And there's a lot of data here to show that in terms of creating a habit, it creates a kind of accountability that can get you off the couch. Absolutely, absolutely. In this age of loneliness, having that community, that in-person community that will give you a high-five and you sweat with, I'm a big supporter of using that as a motivation. social interaction is also good for your brain, good for your brain long term. And we know that the people that have the longest and happiest lives are those that have the strongest social connection.

So we cannot ignore that in overall brain health and in our exercise, how we exercise. So, yeah, very important aspect. Thank you again to Wendy Suzuki and also to Cynthia, our listener who suggested that excerpt. We'll put a link to the full episode if you want to go back and listen to it in the show notes. And don't forget, please do not forget that this year's version of Get Fit Sainly includes a bespoke meditation that goes with every full-length episode. And these meditations are led by my friend and the friend of the show, Karolai. They're available only to paid subscribers over at Dan Harris.com. So get on over there and sign up if you haven't done that

already. Finally, thank you to everybody who works so hard on this show. Our producers are Tara Anderson, Caroline Keenan, and Eleanor Vassili. Our recording and engineering is handled by the great folks over at Pod People. Lauren Smith is our managing producer. Marissa Schneiderman is our senior producer. DJ Kashmir is our executive producer. And Nick Thorburn of the band Islands wrote our theme.