Exercise Improves Memory
According to this BBC report:
A University of Melbourne team tested the impact of a home-based physical activity programme on 138 volunteers aged 50 and over with memory problems.
…Some volunteers were asked to complete three 50-minute sessions a week of moderate physical activity, such as walking, for 24 weeks. Others were not asked to increase their exercise levels.
At the end of the study, the people in the exercise group achieved better scores in tests of their cognitive function, and lower scores in tests to determine signs of dementia.
Follow-up showed that the benefits persisted for at least another 12 months after the exercise programme was stopped.
Exercise is known to help keep the cardiovascular system healthy, and may help boost cognitive function by boosting blood supply to the brain.
Writing in the journal, the researchers said: “Unlike medication, which was found to have no significant effect on mild cognitive impairment at 36 months, physical activity has the advantage of health benefits that are not confined to cognitive function alone, as suggested by findings on depression, quality of life, falls, cardiovascular function, and disability.”
Maybe it’s a coincidence…but I have to think for a living, and a bout of physical activity always makes me feel sharper. It’s much easier to sit down and write after a workout – or even after something as simple as a walk around the neighborhood or a few push ups. I’m a lot more productive when I sit back down at the computer, which more than makes up for the time spent away from it.
