Summary: The Effects Of Exercise On Aging

A study conducted by Harvard Medical School regarding on how could exercise help your brain and what kind of exercise will help your brain to have a better result. In this article, we learn that exercises can help your brain and can also help your memory. The researchers examined different people to try to understand what exercises could help your brain using 30 minutes section. In this study, the researchers randomly evaluate people doing exercises like cardio and compared their memory and their productivity with those that didn’t any type of exercises.

Participation in physical activity has been shown to have many health benefits for older adults; this study does not provide strong support that it protects against cognitive decline. Reports have been made that physical activity may help guard against stroke and coronary heart disease, both of which may be associated with the development of dementia. Some studies were either limited in their scope or had short follow-up times. In all they find that for older adults, physical activity alone may not protect against cognitive decline. (By Charnicia E. Huggins: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/exerciseforseniors.html)

There are the studies in human show that doing soft exercise can decrease the risk of cognitive impairment when compared to those people who not doing any kind of exercise (Gregory,Parker,&Thompson,2012), and it suggests those people who always work out usually have a good mental health implicitly (Gregory,Parker,&Thompson,2012). When you regular doing exercise, your brain function will be improved and the communication between neurons will be good working (Gregory,Parker,&Thompson,2012). Doing exercise is suitable for older adults to enhance their physical health and boots their brain function, however, it also causes the pain in some

Research has proven that physical activity improves cognitive function and can also improve brain function throughout a lifespan. Moreover, staying physically active has so many benefits as well. For example, doing exercise and fitness activities help build cells and natural pathways to help reduce changes in memory loss or dementia. Also, it has so many health benefits including long-term improvements to the cognitive function as the young adult reaching mid

Sport is healthy, as more and more research shows. For example, sport ensures that certain substances in the body are released, which have a significant effect on the brains. These compounds support brain functions and increase the ability to decision making process. Research has shown that elderly people who on a daily basis have a medium to heavy physical effort of at least 30 minutes have a better cognitive performance

In the book Spark, written by Dr. John J. Ratey, he discusses how exercise can positively affect how your brain works. He provides studies and personal experiences to support the claims he makes. I always knew exercise would improve your life but never could have imagined how much it can affect your brain health as well. The chapter I thought spoke the most to me was chapter two, Learning: Grow Your Brain Cells.

This article is about the prevention of the Alzheimer’s risk. Alzheimer disease is also called senile dementia. It is a disease where people lost their memories. This research was done at UCLA Medical Center and University of Pittsburgh. The researchers gathered the participants to do experiment on whether the physical activities benefits to reduce the Alzheimer’s risk. According to the article, the outcome of the experiment showed that increase in physical activities related with larger brain volumes. “Individuals experiencing this brain benefit from increasing their physical activity experienced a 50% reduction in their risk of Alzheimer's dementia.” The researchers actually prove that if you increase your physical activity, then there is

There is ample evidence to demonstrate that through the normal ageing process alterations to the brain in structure and function are directly related to cognitive changes (Glisky, 2007). With an increasing ageing population strategies for prevention of disease and age related cognitive decline are necessary to improve quality of life and reduce the associated healthcare costs (Australian Government Productivity Commission [AGPC], 2013). Physical exercise is known to be crucial in maintaining physiological health; it can also be used as a means of neuroprotection and assist in modifiable risk factors for improved brain health and subsequent cognitive function. This review will critically analyse current research into the effects of exercise

The human brain is constantly changing where many new neurons are formed while others neurons die and new synapses are created while other synapses are removed (Spalding et al., 2013). Some dendrites will withdraw while other dendrites continue branching (Killgore et al., 2013). The processes driving the reshaping of the brain are neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s lifelong ability to rewire neural connections to compensate for diseases and injuries or in response to changes in the environment, whereas neurogenesis is the ability to create new neurons and neural connections. This dynamic process of remodeling gray matter is determined mainly by a person’s genetics and can slow down due to age (Denes, 2016). However, recent scientific evidence demonstrates other non-genetic factors that can significantly improve the development of the brain and slow down neurodegeneration (Kays et al., 2012). Physical exercise has always been linked to a person’s physical health, but many recent scientific studies shows physical exercise can also keep a person’s brain sharp. Exercise affects the brain in numerous ways by creating a flourishing environment for brain growth, aiding the release of numerous hormones, and fighting against depression, stress, and anxiety.

Physical activity impacts various forms of cognitive functioning. However, studies suggest that executive control processes, such as the ability to inhibit irrelevant information, were largely affected with advanced aging. Inhibition involves suppressing the ability to act based on impulse rather than choice (Hillman, Kamijo, & Pontifex, 2012). For example, while reading, older adults require more time compared to younger adults, since distracting information has a greater impact on older adults in disrupting performance (MacKay, A., 2004). Bixby et. al (2007) examined whether engagement physical activity is positively associated with better executive functioning and inhibition in older adults. Older adults that ranged between the ages of 65-92 and exercised frequently during the 3-5 year period prior to the study were controlled for intelligence and education. The test involves a Stroop Color Task which requires inhibition of distractors in order to provide an accurate response by. It assesses the participant's ability to report the ink color without identifying the text. More resistance to distractors signals higher executive functioning

As age increases, we can expect some loss of heart, lung, joint, and sexual functioning. Some loss of brain cells and mental efficiency is a normal part of

The acute exercise group primarily focuses on acute physical exercise. Scholars in this section examine the implications of intense exercise on the cognitive functions of the body. Kashihara, Maruyama, Murota, & Nakahara believe that acute physical exercise might have a positive effect on cognitive task but emphasize that there are mysterious mechanisms behind this relationship. However, Zimmer, Binnebößel, Bloch, Hübner, Schenk, Predel, & Oberste express slightly divergent views by pointing out that exhaustive exercise may be counterproductive, especially is some cognitive activities like planning. Zimmer and his group also argue that his sentiments have been supported by previous scholars, who maintained that acute exercise affects memory

People with Parkinson’s disease are affected cognitively, olfactory dysfunction, fatigue, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and mood disorders. Parkinson’s disease can especially cause a person to have cognitive impairment. This can affect a person’s life as severely as physical impairments caused by Parkinson’s disease. In one of the studies, it showed that there was an improvement in cognition especially memory and learning. One of the studies found that there was an improvement physically, but there were no improvement concerning learning. Putting all these different studies together showed that there was an improvement in cognition because it increased neuroprotection, neuronal proliferation, neurogenesis, and reduction in inflammation in the brain. Also, different types of exercise and levels of intensity can affect cognition positively in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Executive functioning is improved by aerobic or nonaerobic exercise is. In one review, it proved that exercise can improve cognition in older adults. Different types of exercise can improve cognition. In this systematic review, it proved that exercise can benefit people with Parkinson’s cognitively. In this review, the limitation was that there wasn’t any study that addressed how long do the affects of exercise last in a patient with

Having a “Brain Healthy Lifestyle” (Bend, 2014) is made up of several different categories that include “physical health, brain fitness, and vitality” (Bend, 2014) as well as “balanced nutrition, stress management, and mental stimulation” (Sharpbrains, 2014). Our physical health plays a major part in brain function. Exercising our bodies, eating well, and getting the proper amount of sleep has a huge impact on our physical health. “Our brain requires 25% of the blood that is pumped by your heart. The healthier your heart is, the healthier your brain will be” (Bend, 2014). Cognitive fitness is demonstrated by uses of vocabulary, thinking, perception, and attention. It is crucial to make it a normal everyday practice to challenge our brains through new activities. Taking part in a cooking class or learning to

The articles by Erikson et al., Gatz, Korol et al., and Draganski et al. explore the concept of increased physical activity and/or mental activity having effects on the cognitive function and development or deterioration of the brain as we age. Although I agree that physical exercise is critical in increasing cognitive function because of the health benefits it provides, as well as the increased blood flow and circulation throughout the body, I ultimately believe that a healthy brain is not achieved solely by physical exercise or mental exercise, but both. I think there is a link between physical and mental exercise, and that the combination of these two activities creates higher cognitive functioning of the mind as well as the body. The mind and body come together and meet to make an overall healthy individual.