It’s not a claim made by a chain fitness club, but the results of a new study: Regular exercise can help stimulate your brain functions.
According to new research published in the journal Hippocampus, elderly adults who are more physically fit tend to have bigger hippocampi and better spatial memory than those who are less fit.
The hippocampus is a brain structure vital to certain types of memory. It is located deep inside the medial temporal lobe of the brain, and according to researchers, bigger is better when it comes to hippocampus size. Researchers believe certain activities modify hippocampus size in humans.
For example, the new study found that exercise could affect hippocampus size and memory in humans. It also tested participants’ spatial reasoning and found that too was positively affected by regular exercise.
“The higher fit people have a bigger hippocampus, and the people that have more tissue in the hippocampus have a better spatial memory,” the study’s author told reporters.
“Even ignoring the hippocampus data, we see there is this significant and substantial relationship between how fit you are and how good your memory is, or at least a certain kind of memory, a certain kind of memory that we need all the time,” researchers noted.
Lead researchers maintain their findings are “clinically significant” in that they support the notion that lifestyle choices and behaviors may influence brain shrinkage in old age. Basically, the findings prove that if you stay physically fit as you age you will retain key regions of your brain involved in learning and memory. As a result, you might be able to live independently longer. Translation: If you don’t want to be forced to give up your driver’s license and your home until you are very, very old, then you should consider maintaining a regular exercise plan that includes cardio activities as well as strength training exercises.
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