A new study sponsored by the University of California at San Diego has added another piece of evidence that exercise really is one of the best things that you can do to take care of yourself. The study found that exercise doesn’t just help the body to function better, but also the brain. There are still some questions about why this is, but this is not the first study to indicate that this is the case.
The study looked at 90 individuals who were all middle aged or older. These people wore accelerometers while exercising and completed cognitive testing activities from home, reporting their results on their own. Although this did raise some questions when it came to reliability (it wasn’t done in a laboratory or controlled setting) it did take into account that these kinds of activities are likely going to be done remotely well into the future. That’s one of the easy takeaways that the pandemic has given us.
They found that exercise helped to boost and prolong cognitive functioning for those that exercised compared to those that did not exercise, even when going through and accounting for things like race, sex, diet, and more. When taking into account Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, exercise also had a positive impact, helping even those suffering from cognitive functioning loss and decline. In fact, preliminary findings from this study did indicate that those with dementia might benefit even more from exercise than otherwise healthy individuals might. There’s still a lot more research here that needs to be done. However, hopefully this is a catalyst for more research in this field of study. Hopefully, it can be an encouragement for more seniors to be able to exercise even if they are struggling with dementia or another disability.
It’s hard to exercise when you don’t feel well. This is why it’s so important that you take care of yourself. Eat right, tend to your health, find time to relax. Those few minutes a day that you need for exercise might not seem like a big deal, but they really will pay big dividends down the road. Physical health is linked to mental and cognitive health and something as simple as 15 minutes a day of physical activity can be a life changing difference.
Working with a doctor to find an exercise that works for your physical capability is important. Everyone can find something that works for them when it comes to exercise. This might seem like a tough task to stick with, but finding something that’s fun will make it easier to stick with. Be creative and try a few different things until you find something that works. The long term benefits will be worth it.
Having a caregiver to help encourage an older loved one while they exercise can be an easy way to make this happen. It can also help with other aspects of day to day life. We’d love to talk more about what we do. Feel free to get in touch to ask any questions you might have or schedule a free consultation.
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