A latest research has suggested that elderly individuals who take part in strenuous exercise, are mentally agile, possess better memory function and process information quickly when compared to their sedentary peers.
According to the five-year-long study, the study participants who were a lot more physically active in the beginning of the study lost less ground cognitively as compared to the couch potatoes.
Published on Wednesday, March 23rd in the Journal Neurology, the latest research is the most recent study to highlight the significance of moderate to severe exercise in healthy aging. Besides keeping diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis checked, researchers suggested that a good workout is a strong medicine for the aging brain, prevents and treats depression and boosts cognitive function.
The new research has analyzed the cognitive advantages of moderate to intensive physical activity in an ethnically varied group of Manhattan residents. The participants had an average age of 71 at the time of stepping into the study.
Among all participants, nearly 60% were Latinos and 20% participants were identified as black. Roughly 50% participants had a high school education or less. They were tracked for roughly five years and post that their performance in a range of cognitive domains and their baseline scores were compared.
In the last weeks prior to enrollment, they reported indulging in activities for a number of times per week, which can probably get their heart rates up. The ones who reported light or no leisure-time physical activity constituted the left 90% of participants.
The study's lead author, University of Miami neurologist Clinton B. Wright said, “If you're thinking strolling, you're not going to make it" into that top 10% category. You need to do a significant amount of exercise and get your heart rate up to fit into the moderate-to-heavy category”.
Source: Diana Bretting for perfscience.com
Look for our latest Stronger Seniors program, High Intensity Interval Training, coming soon!
