Have you ever had someone tell you that you’d be smart to start an exercise routine? Well the research seems to be showing that is all too true! It’s been known for many years and proven time and again that exercise is perhaps the best medicine on this planet – It’s been shown to reduce the risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancers, high blood pressure, Stroke and even Alzheimer’s disease.
But some new research out from the Boston University School of Medicine shows a strong relationship between levels of fitness in middle ages and brain volume (size of the brain) in later life. Those people with poorer levels of fitness had smaller brains 20 years later. Another study published in the journal Neurology, used data from the Framingham Heart Study and a correlation was found similarly – smaller brain volumes in the unfit populations which indicated accelerated brain-aging.
So what type of exercise seems to best? An article published in the most recent Journal of Physiology contrasts 3 types of exercise and it’s implications on brain health. The 3 modes of exercise were 1) steady-state moderate aerobic exercise, 2) strength training only and 3) High intensity interval training. After 7 weeks of training, brain tissue was microscopically analyzed and it was found that the steady-state aerobic exercisers had the most positive changes noted in their brain tissue. Brain tissue samples in the other 2 types of training showed little change.
What’s this mean for you? As always, variety is the spice of life, and variety in terms of the type of exercise is no exception. Steady state, lower intensity aerobic exercise seems very important for brain volume maintenance. Strength training and higher intensity, short duration anaerobic exercise also has it’s benefits in terms of blood sugar control, cardiovascular health and bone health. In a nutshell the best exercise is a variety of exercises done almost daily. Remember to aim for 150 minutes of exercise each week and don’t hesitate to mix things up. Fast and slow, long and short, heavy and light. It’s all helpful.