Staying Sharp | Take Your Brain for a Walk
By: Phil Scott Source: NRTA Live & Learn Date Posted: November 18, 2005
Fans of the TV hit Murder, She Wrote may remember how often mystery writer and crime solver Jessica Fletcher could be seen pedaling around Cabot Cove on her bicycle. Well, perhaps the character made famous by Angela Lansbury knew something we didn’t: that exercise is good for the brain. That’s what growing scientific evidence is now telling us.
In a 1999 study in the journal Nature, 124 "de-conditioned" adults between ages 60 and 80 were placed on either a modest aerobic exercise program or one that simply included stretching. According to Arthur Kramer, a University of Illinois psychology professor involved in the study, each aerobic exercise subject began with a 15-minute walking program three times a week. This was gradually increased to one hour. After six months the walkers showed marked improvement in attention span and memory, while the "stretch" group remained the same. More recent MRI studies of other exercisers' brains indicate increased volume in the prefrontal cortex in areas that control planning, scheduling, and multitasking. Kramer attributes these changes to various factors, including an increased vascular structure.
"Moderate intensity exercise seems to work best," says Jennifer Etnier, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, who’s conducting a study to gauge how long-lasting the cognitive effects of aerobic exercise are. For the typical older adult "moderate intensity" would be a brisk walk.
So we know exercise is good for us. How can we make it more fun so we stick with it? "Exercise in a variety of ways," says Etnier. That means swimming, walking, bicycling — your choice. And mix it up: bicycle one exercise period, swim the next. "Also, find a training partner," she says. "It becomes a social event, not just an exercise session." And set goals: Enter a charity walk, then set smaller, interim goals that will get you in shape for that walk. "Or do something as silly as posting your schedule on the refrigerator, and use smiley-face stickers as a pat on the back for a job well done," she says.
Phil Scott has written for Scientific American and New Scientist.
Find more information on Brain Health in Staying Sharp.
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