Exercise your brain and body to age better

Do you have a fear of growing older? Some people do, but aging does not have to be something to fear. There are many ways to improve your way of life as you age. After attending the “Smart Brian, Strong Brain, Fit Brain” at Rockland Community College this past week I learned a lot about the brain as it ages and what you can do to slow the process. As I explained in last week’s blog, participants in the program will be given access to the CogniFit training program that sharpens fourteen areas of brain function including memory, hand eye coordination, and driving skills for a period of 18mths. The program is free for 500 residents of Rockland county, but if you are interested in the program you can out for information at Cognifit’s website.  It is so important to keep your brain fit and active, and now there is four new studies out that show that exercise can also help improve these skills.

The four studies were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine on Monday. “One of the studies found that women who exercised more during middle age — defined as an average age of 60 by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School — were less likely after 70 to develop chronic diseases, heart surgery or any physical, cognitive or mental impairments. Another study found that a year of resistance training, once or twice a week, improved older women’s attention spans and conflict resolution skills. A third found that adults aged 55 and older who engaged in moderate or high physical activity were less likely to become cognitively impaired than their couch-potato equivalents. And women aged 65 or older who took part in an exercise program for 18 months appeared to have denser bones and a reduced risk of falls than women the same age who followed a less intense “wellness” program, a fourth study showed.”

Doctors have told us this information for years and I think it’s time to listen. Are you ready to start exercising your brain and body? I hope you do! Here’s to your health.

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