Exercising the Mind?

Physical activity is associated with both improvements in short-term cognitive function and reduced dementia risk. University College London researchers have now studied 76 adults, aged 50-83 for 8 days. These subjects wore accelerometers, to track their sleep and exercise. They were also given daily online tests, assessing their attention, memory and processing speed. A 5% potential increase in the subject's memory scores, was noted on days following as little as 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise, combined with at least 6 hours of sleep (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/dec/10/exercise-improves-memory-walk-cycle). These memory improvements are probably due to the excercise stimulating blood flow to the brain and/or increasing levels of neurotransmitters. This study confirms that physical exercise helps maintain neural functioning. Exercise your body and you are improving your mind!