A new study finds working out may help the mind just as much as it helps the body. Researchers from Columbia University Irving Medical Center have discovered that just 10 minutes of physical exercise a day in middle age helps protect the brain from decline.
The study shows that “moderate-to-vigorous intensity” physical activity has a “protective” effect on the brain. For example, simply being active — a brisk walk, dancing, bicycle ride or short run — is just as helpful, if not more so, as reading and solving puzzles when it comes to enhancing brain health.
“Our study suggests that getting at least an hour and 15 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity a week or more during midlife may be important throughout your lifetime for promoting brain health and preserving the actual structure of your brain,” study author Priya Palta said. “In particular, engaging in more than two-and-a-half hours of physical activity per week in middle age was associated with fewer signs of brain disease.”
SOURCE: Study Finds January 7, 2021