DOES EXERCISE IMPROVE MEMORY FOR THE OLD?

Physical activities do more than just to tone the body. Everyone knows that in combination with a balanced nutrition diet can increase the quality of your life, in both physical and mental aspects. It contributes to improving memory, maintaining healthy nervous system and reducing risk of age-related cognitive decline or diseases.

Significant Benefits of Exercise

Exercise is a part of the powerful trio including proper nutrition, sufficient rest and regular physical activity for good health. Exercise regularly can protect your body from developing certain cancers, heart diseases and diabetes. It also prevents weight gain and maintains a fit shape. Further, a study has shown that another beneficial impact of exercise is on nervous system and keeping your mind sharp even when you’re aged.

Exercise and Brain Size

In the brain, hippocampus – the area involved in learning and memory formation begins to shrink in late adulthood period. A study on people in the ages of 55 – 80 involved one group of 30 minute walking routine for 3 times a week and another group with stretching routine. It turned out that those with walking exercise improved better memory function due to the increased volume of hippocampus in their brain. Actually, exercise or physical activity impacts positively on the brain by stimulating neurogenesis – nerve cell proliferation and angiogenesis – blood vessel regeneration in dentate gyrus of hippocampus. This allows more blood flow with oxygen and nutrients to the brain. The more regular exercise is done, the more substantial level of both neurogenesis and angiogenesis occur in the brain.

Exercise and Brain Health

In combination with an improvement in memory, exercise also improves brain function and physical fitness. The journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience has showed surprising benefits of exercise on memory. It has been proved based on a study on 57 to 75 year- old adults that exercised participants using stationary bike or treadmill improved more on memory performance, brain health and physical fitness. Exercise stimulates higher dorsal striatum – brain part with role in cognitive control. Additionally, a combination with healthy nutrition, physical activity can reduce symptoms of brain impairment caused by free radicals.

How Much Exercise?

A good exercise routine should take account of resistance training and cardio exercise, such as light walking or jogging. To be beneficial for memory improvement, according to Mayo Clinic, 30-minute sessions of exercise are suggested. Depending on each level of fitness, one can start with slight exercise such as brisk walking or weight lifting in 10 or 20 minutes for once or twice a week. Then gradually increase the length, periods and intensity of workout. Remember to ask for doctor’s advice before following any routine.