These 3 Exercises May Improve Brain Health as You Age, According to New Research
Want to keep your brain as healthy as possible as you age? Aerobic exercise may be the key.
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
The hard truth is that we’re all bound to experience some extent of cognitive decline as we age. In fact, most people tend to feel the effects of aging on brain health as early as thirty years old, whether that be symptoms like forgetfulness and mental glitching or more subtle signs like changes in personality. What’s the silver lining, you ask? Well, there are still plenty of options we have for keeping ourselves as healthy as possible as we get older.
Related: 5 Habits to Add to Your Day to Prevent Cognitive Decline
Lots of research points to exercise as an effective way to help maintain a healthy brain and cognition. From stress-relieving activities to resistance training, physical movement may feel like it’s only working specific muscle groups, but it can have a surprising amount of benefits for brain health as well. A new international study suggests that an effective, across-the-board method for improving cognitive performance may just be aerobic exercise.
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What This Study on Cognition Found
When 25 healthy golfers over age 65 participated in either golfing, walking or Nordic walking, cognitive functions such as processing speed and working memory improved, according to an October 2023 study published in the BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine Journal.
Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland, the University of Edinburgh and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich instructed participants to each conduct three different bouts of self-paced aerobic exercise:
an 18-hole game of golf,
a 6-kilometer walk,
and a 6-kilometer Nordic walk
The figures show that in each instance—whether that be golf, walking or Nordic walking—participants showed improvement in cognitive functions like visual and information processing. After Nordic walking, scores for certain aspects of brain function like task switching were especially high compared to the other groups. This could be because “Nordic walking places higher cognitive demands compared with regular walking,” according to the publication. Nonetheless, overall results were nearly equal among the three exercises, and more research on a larger, more diverse participant pool is needed to draw conclusions on the connection between exercise and brain performance.
This research adds to the piling evidence that any form of exercise, including low-impact activities like walking and golf, may be better than no exercise at all. Doctoral Researcher in Sports and Exercise Medicine Julia Kettinen says, “These findings underscore the value of age-appropriate aerobic exercise, such as golf, Nordic walking and regular walking, in maintaining and enhancing cognitive function among older adults. Previous research has shown that exercise also holds promise as a potential strategy for those experiencing cognitive decline.”
The Bottom Line
This study found that three aerobic exercises (golf, walking and Nordic walking) each improved brain functions in golfers over the age of 65.
More research on larger and more diverse populations is needed to determine if a specific exercise can help improve brain function or slow down cognitive decline more than another. However, findings and previous research make it clear that choosing to exercise is better for your brain than not exercising at all.
Now, you don’t have to immediately jump to walking the popular amount of 10,000 steps per day or become a regular golfer, but you may be able to start considering what habits work best for you to incorporate brain-healthy exercises in your routine.
Read the original article on Eating Well.
