Performing poorly?
We’ve all had it happen, and depending on your age, it may be happening more frequently than you’d like. You can’t remember where you put your keys. You have to call your own cell phone in order to find it. You can’t even remember the last time you remembered your anniversary or a loved one’s birthday in time.
Memory. It’s like your health. You don’t notice it until there’s something wrong. And then it seems like you notice it. All. The. Time.
“It’s just part of ageing.” you sigh. “Too bad they haven’t invented a little pill for impotence of the brain.”
(“At least you haven’t lost your sense of humour!” another part of your brain retorts.)
However, the fact is, you don’t have to sit helplessly as the ticking clock slowly wreaks havoc on your once sharp mind. In fact sitting is THE LAST thing you should do.
Increase blood flow to your most important organ – your brain!
Being active, and in particular, regular aerobic exercise, exercise that gets the blood pumping, has been shown to be linked to better brain functioning – for kids, for the middle aged, and especially for those in their golden years. Exercise increases blood flow throughout the Healthy Body, and especially the brain. One pivotal study in 1999, showed that previously sedentary retirees (age 60-75) who took part in aerobic exercise demonstrated substantial improvement in tasks designed to test the brain’s ability to execute higher functions(1). Memory, attention, executive control, spatial abilities and processing speed… Study after study has shown that exercise DOES have a direct impact on your brain functioning – on both grey matter (regions of the brain responsible for doing the work of the brain) and white matter (the high-speed network connecting regions of the brain).
So, stop reading this article, grab a friend – heck, grab your grandmother – and get moving. Run up and down your stairs. Hit the gym. Find a personal trainer. Not only will your Healthy Body (or your grandmother) thank you, but your mind will too!
(1) Kramer, A.F., Hahn, S., Cohen, N., Banich, M., McAuley, E., Harrison, C., Chason, J., Vakil, E., Bardell, L., Boileau, R.A. & Colcombe, A. (1999). Aging, fitness, and neurocognitive function. Nature, 400, 418-419.
