Exercise Can Improve Your Memory & Fend Off Alzheimer’s

November is Alzheimer’s awareness month — learn how to protect yourself against the disease with these pointers!

Scientists have known for a while that people who exercise do better on memory tests than others. Research from Columbia University, may have answered the question about why exercisers do better on memory tests.

This research shows that aerobic exercise increases the blood flow to the hippocampus (a part of the brain thought to be responsible for the creation of new neurons and memory) and stimulates growth in several areas in the brain. In fact, functional MRIs showed the hippocampus received twice the blood volume as it did before exercising. This extra flow of blood is thought to play a part in the production of new neurons.

This is good news for those concerned about cognitive decline with age (I think that’s just about all of us). We know that Alzheimer’s is associated with smaller-than-normal hippocampi. This research suggests that exercise not only stops the brain shrinkage, but can also reverse it and, therefore, ward off memory decline associated with aging.

I suggest that if you want to give your brain an extra boost, put down your Sudoku and get out and exercise! You might also try using affirmations during your aerobic workout. This way you will get the beneficial effects of exercise on the brain and the benefits of affirmations to strengthen neural connections. In other words, the exercise will boost your memory and cognitive processing speed while the affirmations will help you develop a positive mindset. You will be rewiring your brain for success and better memory!

Related posts:

1. Exercise helps prevents Alzheimer’s disease
2. Alzheimer’s Disease Information – 3 Tips to Prevent Memory Loss and Dementia
3. Is it Alzheimer?s Disease or Normal Middle Age Memory Loss?
4. Prevention of Memory Loss Also Prevents Alzheimer’s Disease
5. 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer’s and Age-Related Memory Loss