Health experts have long believed that exercise may help slow the progression of cognitive decline in older adults. However, until recently, little was known about how quickly these benefits may be seen.
A recent study conducted on adults ages 50-83 years old without evidence of cognitive impairment or dementia found that doing moderate to vigorous exercise for even a short period of time could lead to improved memory as soon as the next day. Specifically, when older adults engaged in more vigorous activity than usual on a given day, they performed better on memory tests the following day.1
The best part? Taking steps to improve memory through exercise doesn’t mean you have to lift your weight in iron or run a marathon. According to the study authors, as little as 30 minutes a day engaged in moderate-to-vigorous activity such as brisk walking, dancing, cycling, or swimming can provide significant benefits. Researchers also found that moving more throughout the day and getting at least six hours of sleep further enhanced mental performance.2
A separate study that looked at the benefits of walking among older adults supports these results. That study found that even 4,000 steps a day may be enough to decrease dementia risk by one-quarter, and that accruing more steps per day was associated with steady declines in dementia risk.3
1)Bloomberg M., Brocklebank L., Doherty A., Hamer M., Steptoe A., “Associations of accelerometer-measured physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep with next-day cognitive performance in older adults: a micro-longitudinal study.” Ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com, 10 DEC 2024, https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-024-01683-7.
2)Ibid.
3)Del Pozo Cruz, Borja, PhD1; Ahmadi, Matthew, PhD2; Naismith, Sharon L., PhD3; et al, “Association of Daily Step Count and Intensity With Incident Dementia in 78 430 Adults Living in the UK.” Jamanetwork.com, 6 SEP 2022, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2795819
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