Regular physical activity, like going for a walk or playing Pickleball, may provide some short-term benefits to our brain health, equivalent to reversing four years of cognitive aging, according to a new study published in the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
For the study, researchers asked a diverse sample of 204 middle-aged adults to check in five times per day for a period of nine days via a smartphone application. Each check-in involved completing a brief survey about their mood, dietary choices and physical activity in the hours leading up to the check-in. Next, participants completed a few brief brain games designed to assess mental speed and short-term memory.
After looking at the data, researchers found that cognitive processing speed improved during check-ins when participants reported being physically active in the hours before the survey. Moreover, these results were seen regardless of whether or not the activity was light intensity, high intensity or somewhere in between. This led researchers to concluded that movement, whether as part of exercise or a daily routine, was essential for improving cognitive processing speed.
“Our findings suggest that engaging in everyday physical activity of any intensity level may have short-term, acute benefits for cognitive health and point to new potential targets for intervention,” researchers wrote.
Get Up And Get Moving
The encouraging finding from this study is that not only does physical activity improve your brain health, but you don’t need to go through a laborious, high-intensity workout in order to achieve these benefits. Simply lacing up your sneakers and going for a 30-45 minute walk around your neighborhood can provide you with the same brain boosting benefits.
If you want to keep your brain sharp as you age, we encourage you to find more ways to be physically active. You don’t need to start training for a marathon or begin maxing out on the bench press to boost your brain health. Find little ways to be more active in your daily life. Walk more, take the stairs at work, park further away from the department store so you get more steps in or join a recreational athletic league in your area. Whatever you can do to move more, the better it will be for your body and your brain.
Of course, if your feet or ankles start hurting as a result of this increased movement, Dr. Silverman is here to help. Search around on our website for answers to specific foot and ankle injuries, and be proactive in your treatment of foot injuries so that they don’t linger longer than they need to. For more information about a specific foot or ankle injury, reach out to Dr. Silverman and his team today.