We all know that exercise is good for our overall health and wellbeing, but there’s so much more to it than that.
A new collaborative study from Australia’s National Institute of Complementary Medicine at Western Sydney University and the Division of Psychology and Mental Health at the University of Manchester, UK, investigated the effect of aerobic exercise on the hippocampus.
The hippocampus has been identified as the region of the brain most sensitive to the effects of physical activity, particularly cardio. To combat the common decrease in brain volume after the age of 40, researchers ran 14 clinical trials and compared 737 brain scans that included both before and after results of subjects partaking in stationary biking, walking and treadmill running with anywhere from 2 to 5 sessions per week in participants with mild cognitive impairment.
The results showed that aerobic exercise can effectively slow the inevitable brain shrink that comes with age, and maintain brain function. The key is to continue aerobic exercise to serve as a temporary remedy to memory related conditions.
So rather than age being a barrier to exercise, it should be your motivation!
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