Exercise to slow memory loss is a practice that has been around for a long time. In fact, one of the top recommendations for preventing or slowing the onset and progress of dementia is often regular moderate exercise. That said, what I’m loving about newly released research is that it shows how easy it can be to get these benefits. Yeah, I’m a personal trainer, and you’d think that I would be telling you that everyone should hire someone with my expertise, but in this instance, you can easily go it alone and get all the benefits you’re after.
You Don’t Need My Help for Exercise to Slow Memory Loss
New research supports the findings of existing studies that show that exercise to slow memory loss doesn’t have to be complex or intense. It just has to be decent and regular. This isn’t to say that you won’t get Alzheimer’s Disease if you just go for a walk every day. That’s a specific condition and the jury is still out on whether physical activity has a measurable impact on it. Research is continuing to figure that out.
However, when it comes to slowing everyday memory loss associated with age or dementia in general, the conventionally agreed-upon recommendation is that exercise is a key factor. Even more important, you don’t have to be an older person to benefit from it.
In fact, it’s typically recommended that you start early if you want to get the most out of this strategy. Exercise to slow memory loss comes from keeping up the habit, after all. A habit is something that builds over time. The earlier you build this habit, the more sustainable it will be over time. It will be a natural part of your lifestyle. Moreover, you’ll build up your overall physical fitness earlier in your life, making it easier to move around and keep up that physical activity level as you age. It’s good on all fronts.
How Simple is it Really?
Honestly, it’s really simple. I don’t mean that all workouts need to be this simple. If you’re looking to get physically fit, lose weight, or achieve other fitness goals, a physical trainer can still be your best way to make sure you’re headed along the safest and most efficient road to getting there. But when it comes to exercise to slow memory loss, it couldn’t be more straightforward.
Research has shown that simply adding a touch of aerobic/cardio exercise to your day on most days can help to prevent or reduce the onset of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which are changes to memory that happen before many forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
This type of exercise can be as straightforward as going for a good walk of twenty minutes to a half hour each day for at least five days per week. The walk doesn’t need to be a race but should be enough to get your heart pumping. By the end of it, you should be warmer and know that you’ve really moved around. Swing your arms while you walk for that much more benefit.
The impact of these walks – or cycling or swimming, if you’d rather other cardio workouts – is measurable. Researchers can see the reduction in brain shrinkage in MRI scans of patients who exercise to slow memory loss, when compared with people who remain more sedentary or do only stretching workouts. Food for thought!