We have all heard about how beneficial exercise is, both for the brain and the body. It can help prevent disease, reduce the risks that come along with obesity, strengthens bones and muscles, prevents injury, improves mental health, fights cognitive decline, and more. Exercise is a wonderful thing for our bodies and our minds.
We’ve also heard about how dangerous pollution is. In fact, awareness regarding pollution is more prevalent than ever. Almost every single community has some sort of public recycling program. There are laws and regulations in place to help prevent air pollution, and a lot of places even promote community clean-up days.
But, recent studies show that for all of the good that exercise can do, pollution can offset the gains that would have been made. Unfortunately, for those that live in areas with higher rates of air pollution, the benefits of exercise are not as pronounced. Although exercise is associated with fewer declines in cognitive decline as we age, a new study indicates that these benefits were not present to the same degree in those that lived in areas with higher smog levels.
In general, vigorous exercise tends to reduce the amount of lesions found in the brain’s white matter. However, in those that live in areas with high levels of air pollution, these benefits disappear. Additionally, exercise tends to increase the amount of gray matter in the brain. People that did not exercise have about 790 cubic centimeters of gray matter. Those that do have about 800. Smog did not negatively impact this benefit. Although air pollution can be deleterious, there are still benefits to exercising regardless of where you live when it comes to brain health.
If you have questions about exercise and how it can benefit you and your family as you age, please speak more with a medical professional. They will be able to give you more appropriate advice and direction concerning exercise tailored to your unique set of needs. Not every type of exercise is helpful for everyone, so working with a professional will ensure that exercise is approached safely. This way, you are far more likely to get the benefits from it that you are hoping for.
Customized help is always best when it comes to caring for loved ones. Whether it’s advice regarding exercise, medical attention, or care, making sure that you have the help needed adjusted to take your unique needs, goals, and situation taken into account can only enhance the quality of the assistance that is received.
This is perhaps one of the biggest benefits of in-home care. Care can be customized to meet the exact needs of the person receiving assistance. The care is given in a one on one basis, allowing the caregiver freedom to adjust the help that’s given as needed. Professionally trained caregivers are an essential part of making this happen.
We take pride in thoroughly training each of our caregivers. We’d love to talk more with you about what we do and how we do it. Please feel free to give us a call if you’d like more information.
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