Did you know that exercise can keep your brain young and prevent memory lapses into old age? A recent article on the Harvard Health Blog demonstrates how your can keep your brain young and prevent memory loss into old age.
Memory lapses happen more often as we get older as our recall slows and it becomes harder to learn new things quickly. Many studies have shown that staying physically active and exercising regularly in middle age and beyond can help delay and perhaps even prevent decline in brain function.
We don’t have an exact exercise prescription to guide how long and hard we should exercise, but many studies show that even low intensity activity for an hour a day appears to be much better for brain health than sitting on the couch.
You don’t have to engage in high-performance athletics to preserve and protect your brain. Just be more active during the day. Here are some suggested approaches to a more active lifestyle:
- Get up and move around every hour while awake. You can set an hourly alarm on your phone or just estimate, but this is a really easy way to incorporate movement into your lifestyle.
- Walk more, use the car less. Many cities now are developing walk and bike-friendly paths, so it may be easier for you to walk or bike to work than you realize.
- Take the stairs rather than the elevator. This one is easy!
- Do gardening or yard work. This has the added benefit of getting you outside during the week, but it also allows you to get some casual movement into your day.
Staying physically active with time scheduled daily for dedicated exercise is just one way path to better brain function. Here’s what else you can do:
- Get enough sleep to make sure that your body and brain are functioning at full speed all the time.
- Don’t smoke
- Limit alcohol intake
- Reduce stress
All of these will get you on the path to better health and memory for the rest of your life.
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