Does Exercise Improve Memory?

Haven’t we all been there?

We know exercise is good for us – the trouble is, it means stopping what you are doing, getting out of that comfy chair and putting one foot in front of the other!

And we all know of some fitness freak who died at a frighteningly early age. Look where exercise got him!

But an exciting new study has just demonstrated that we don’t have to exercise like crazy to have a fit and alert mind.
Moderate, everyday exercise will do it.

That’s great news!

New studies just published by Canadian researchers measured the brain function and exercise levels of a large group of elderly adults for two to five years. Most of the volunteers described their exercise as “walking around the block, cooking, gardening, cleaning and that sort of thing,”said Laura Middleton, associate professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

But the effects of this modest exercise on the brain were remarkable. The volunteers who took no exercise scored significantly worse over the years on tests of cognitive function but the most active group showed little decline.

About 90 percent of those with the greatest daily energy expenditure found that they could think and remember just about as well as when they began the study. And this ability remained year after year.

“Our results indicate that vigorous exercise isn’t necessary to protect your mind”, Dr. Middleton said. “I think that’s exciting.”