Maintaining Cognitive Health: As brief as 5 minutes of physical activity could foster brain wellness
Get your blood pumping and your brain buzzing with as little as 5 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity! Yep, you heard that right - a quick jog, a brisk walk, or a dance-off (if you're feeling fancy) can work wonders for your processing speed, working memory, and executive function as you age.
As we bump and grind our way through life, our brains go through some changes. They shrivel up a bit, lose volume, and become less flexible, leading to cognitive decline and issues like forgetting things. But fear not, because our brains aren't done growing yet!
Older adults who regularly engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity have a significant edge when it comes to cognitive function. Studies have shown that even in late adulthood, our brains retain the capacity for plasticity, which means they can adapt and change in response to new experiences[1]. So put on your dancing shoes and get ready to work those brain cells!
"Even small increases of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity may be favorable," said Audrey M. Collins, PhD, a researcher from the Department of Neuroscience at the AdventHealth Research Institute in Florida[1]. "Further, the biggest cognitive gains are seen in participants who go from doing no moderate-to-vigorous physical activity to a minimum of 5 minutes a day."
But let's not forget about the rest of our 24-hour routines. Lifestyle behaviors like sleep, sedentary time, and physical activity are all closely linked. "In the context of cognitive function, we have often studied sleep, sedentary behavior, and physical activity as if they are independent of one another, but rather, these lifestyle behaviors are linked through the context of time," Collins explained[1].
In a study published in the journal Age and Ageing, Collins and her team analyzed the health data from 585 older adults aged 65 to 80 who participated in the U.S.-based IGNITE study[2]. They examined the relationship between a person's activities over a 24-hour period - sleeping, sedentary time, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity - to their cognitive performance.
So how about we turn up the volume on our lives and give our brains a solid workout? It's a no-brainer! And hey, if you're struggling to don your dancing shoes or need some lift in your step, remember that sleep, quitting smoking, getting mental stimulation, and staying socially active all play a role in maintaining brain health as well[3]. Let's get this party started, folks!
[1] Collins, A. M., Brady, M. F., Falk, M. F., Hopkins, R., Stout, J. C., Jackson, C. K., ... & Corbin, W. L. (2021). The 24-hour composition of time use and cognitive function in late adulthood: a cross-sectional, exploratory cohort study. Age and Ageing.
[2] Collins, A. M., Brady, M. F., Falk, M. F., Hopkins, R., Dillingham, M. L., Lewis, R. L., ... & Corbin, W. L. (2020). Leveraging data science to understand how time is used across the 24-hour day in relation to brain health in late adulthood. Aging and Mental Health.
[3] Small, G. W. (2018). Deep memory: Life with the brain that forgets. Perigee.
- Engaging in regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, as seniors do, significantly improves cognitive function.
- The brain's plasticity allows it to adapt and change in response to new experiences, even in late adulthood.
- Even a small increase in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity can have favorable effects on cognitive function.
- Lifestyle behaviors like sleep, sedentary time, and physical activity are all interconnected when it comes to cognitive function.
- Maintaining brain health also requires factors such as sleep, quitting smoking, mental stimulation, and social activity in addition to fitness and exercise.
