We all know that exercise is good for us in terms of our general health; it lifts our mood, increases our energy levels, helps with building strength, weight loss, and helps us to live longer.
What you might not know, is that it helps us to keep our minds fresh and sharp too!
Imagine being able to remember things easier and not have to look for things or wonder where you left them. Regular exercise can help to improve cognitive function, to keep you mentally sharp and to boost your memory.
We’ve gone away and found the evidence to prove it. And we’ve summarized our findings for you here today:
📖 STUDY 1 📖
The first study we found is a massive study involving almost 34,000 people over the age of 65. What they found is that the risk of cognitive decline for those over 65 who exercise regularly at a high level of intensity is 38% less. Those who exercise at a low to moderate level, showed a reduced risk of cognitive decline of 35%.
The results for both groups are quite similar, so the takeaway is – it doesn’t matter how much exercise you do, make sure to push yourself to get up and move as often as you can!
📖 STUDY 2 📖
The second study we looked at involved 259 female participants over the age of 70. One group of women were assigned to do 1.5 hours of physical exercise a day, 3 days a week, whilst the control group was instructed not to go out of their way to exercise. What they found was that memory function was 40% better in the group that exercised 3 times a week than those in the control group who did not exercise.
That’s a big difference that show that exercise really pays off if you do it on the weekly.
📖 STUDY 3 📖
The last study we explored the function of walking as a form of exercise to keep you mentally sharp. The research shows that walking helps to physically increase the grey matter in your brain and increase the blood flow to the hippocampal area of your brain. The hippocampal area of the brain is responsible for emotion and long term memory.
So not only does your brain get bigger, but you also improve your memory and your emotional capacity with regular walking!
All the above interesting results remind us once again that exercise is extremely important for us, which is why we’ve made it a huge emphasis in our Growing Younger Program.
If you’re interested in finding out your biological age or finding out more about the Growing Younger program, feel free to leave a comment, email us or to call our clinic.