EXERCISE AND ALZHEIMERS
It gets harder and harder to exercise as we get older. But, there are plenty of health benefits including one major one you might not have realized before.
There’s more and more information now that keeping our cardiovascular system clean and healthy does more than just protect our heart; it can prevent the onset of mental decline in our golden years.
And this study shows in particular, exercise can have a powerful effect in preventing dementia.
Senior exerciser Mimi Dubin says, “I’m 75 years old and I don’t think I’d be so full of energy without this class.”
New research in the annals of internal medicine shows keeping physically fit can keep the brain fit also. It found older adults, like Mimi, who exercise three or more times a week had a lower risk for developing dementia--mental decline--compared to those who exercised fewer than three times a week.
“It’s at least eight years I’ve been taking the class. I feel terrific, I really do,” says Mimi.
Frequent exercise reduced the risk of dementia by about 40 percent.
Dr. Eileen Callahan, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, says, “The experts think that exercise may help prevent dementia by working on some of the chemicals in their brain it may have to do with increased blood flow but they’re not really sure at this point.”
The authors say this is the most definitive study yet showing the relationship between exercise and the risk for dementia.
It almost didn’t matter what type of exercise they did: it included walking, hiking, aerobics, swimming, weight training and stretching.
It appears those who benefited the most were people who were in fact the frailest at the beginning of the study.
Jason Ciniglio, Fitness Consultant at Town Sports International, says, “The first thing that I see is an improvement in self esteem and in energy level, or outlook in life.”
In many gyms now, there are fully funded memberships designed to keep seniors healthy.
“They receive a free membership from their health plan, they’re typically Medicare recipients over the age of 65,” says Kimberly Kane or the Silver Sneakers Program at Town Sports International.
Senior exerciser Estelle Ortiz says, “Instead of staying home, with aches and pains, I feel more energy and happy.”
Charles Chilp adds, “I do it five days a week. I feel really up high. It’s a high.”
It can be part of a program to help healthy seniors stay healthy--not only from the neck down--but above it also.
“Maintaining a high level of education, socialization, just challenge your brain don’t get lazy, and the same thing with your body, keep going physically as much as you can,” Dr. Callahan states.
Participating in a number of different activities may be as or more important than the frequency, duration, and intensity of the physical activity in terms of reducing dementia risk.
It could be that maintaining a variety of activities keeps more parts of the brain active, or that this variety reflects better participation in both physical and social activities.
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