Everyone knows that exercise makes you feel
more mentally alert at any age. But do you need to follow a specific training
program to improve your cognitive function? Science has shown that the
important thing is to just get moving. It's that simple. In fact, this was the
finding of a study conducted at the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de
Montréal (IUGM), an institution affiliated with Université de Montréal, by Dr.
Nicolas Berryman, PhD, Exercise Physiologist, under the supervision of Dr.
Louis Bherer, PhD, and Dr. Laurent Bosquet, PhD, that was published in the
journal AGE (American Aging Association) in October.
The study compared the effects of different
training methods on the cognitive functions of people aged 62 to 84 years. Two
groups were assigned a high-intensity aerobic and strength-training program,
whereas the third group performed tasks that targeted gross motor activities
(coordination, balance, ball games, locomotive tasks, and flexibility). While
the aerobics and strength-training were the only exercises that led to physical
fitness improvements after 10 weeks (in terms of body composition, VO2 max, and
maximum strength), all three groups showed equivalent improvement in cognitive
performance.
The subjects in the third group performed
activities that can easily be done at home, which is excellent news for
sedentary people who can't see themselves suddenly going to a gym to work out.
To improve your cognitive health, you can simply start by doing any activity
you like.
"Our study targeted executive
functions, or the functions that allow us to continue reacting effectively to a
changing environment. We use these functions to plan, organize, develop
strategies, pay attention to and remember details, and manage time and space,"
explained Dr. Louis Bherer, PhD.
"For a long time, it was believed that only aerobic
exercise could improve executive functions. More recently, science has shown
that strength-training also leads to positive results. Our new findings suggest
that structured activities that aim to improve gross motor skills can also
improve executive functions, which decline as we age. I would like seniors to
remember that they have the power to improve their physical and cognitive
health at any age and that they have many avenues to reach this goal,"
concluded Dr. Nicolas Berryman, PhD.
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