As you may know, our brain is divided into very specific regions. Each of which has a role in different aspects of our survival.
There is a part of your brain, called the hippocampus, that looks like a tiny seahorse embeded deep in your brain. But this tiny part has a very big and important job; it helps with your learning and memory.
Specifically it converts short term memories into long term memories within your brain. Your hippocampus also helps you learn more about your environment (spatial memory), so you’re aware of what’s around you, as well as remembering what words to say (verbal memory).
After the age 50, your hippocampus shrinks by 1 to 2% per year. And so, if my math is right, by the time you turn 65 if this shrinkage happens consistently, an average hippocampus will have shrunk to 86% of it’s original size, or 14% smaller. Scary right?
If only there was something we could do to slow down or reverse this decline!!!
Oh wait…apparently there is. 🙂
There was a 12 month aerobic exercise trial done with older adults that actually reversed this decline. In fact, the exercise group gained 2% in hippocampal volume whereas the control group, who just did stretching, lost 1.4%.
Sleep is the other real competitor. The science shows chronic sleep deprivation (under 6.5hours) has negative effects on the brain as well.
And so, if memory impairment is a concern of yours, here is what the science says you should do:
1) Get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week, split into three to four sessions.
Moderate meaning you can hold a conversation but you are definitely breathy when you do. If you’re a numbers person, it would be about 60-70% of your heart rate max. This may look like brisk walking, walking on an incline, light jogging, cycling, swimming, rowing etc. (It seems that vigorous exercise produces similar results in roughly half the time, though the research is less robust in this area and so the moderate exercise makes all the news!)
2) There is also a growing body of evidence that resistance training slows brain atrophy as well. But just like high intensity training, the scientific evidence isn’t as robustly studied as it is for moderate aerobic exercise and so it is less widely prescribed for memory impairment. But we know it is unequivocally worth doing for the bone density building benefits, the functional mobility and fall prevention aspect of it as well as the ability of muscle to help balance blood sugar and increase our metabolism. And resistance training makes all your other exercises better and so I also recommend at least two resistance training sessions per week, working each muscle at least twice.
3) What the science doesn’t support is cognitive games or supplements for brain health. While this doesn’t mean it isn’t helpful nothing reaches the same brain building outcomes that exercise does. Nothing. And so, if you enjoy sudoku, or doing crossword puzzles keep them up! Being good at those is something to be proud of, it’s a skill like any other, it just may not be the magic pill for keeping your memory sharp that we might of thought it could be.
The bottom line:
If you are over 50 and not currently doing moderate aerobic exercise, now is the time to start.
Start with 10 minutes of brisk walking three times this week. Build up to 30 minutes. Get to 150 minutes if you can. Can’t walk? Try biking. Can’t bike? Try swimming.
If you find it boring…well, my only answer to you is to try to make it fun! Try a new sport, or get the support of a friend to join you. Or get yourself a trainer who either scares you enough you don’t dare miss a session or better yet, is so charming that it doesn’t feel like work at all. It doesn’t matter how you do it, just find a way to do it.
