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Variety in Exercise Linked to Brain Health

Posted on: Tuesday, 17 May 2005, 18:00 CDT

We've heard that doing a variety of physical activities provides many benefits such as preventing overuse injuries, challenging our body and keeping us from getting bored.

Now researchers at Johns Hopkins University have found one more reason to go for diversity in activity: It may keep our minds fit as we age.

A recent study shows that participating in various types of physical activity may keep away dementia, a group of diseases in which brain function deteriorates.

Researchers followed 3,375 men and women for eight years and asked them about their physical activities.

People who participated in four or more activities were less likely to develop dementia.

These included walking, household chores, mowing, raking, gardening, hiking, jogging, biking, exercise cycling, dancing, aerobics, bowling, golfing, general exercise and swimming.

The association between variety of activity and lower risk of dementia held true for all types of dementia except in cases where people have the ApoE gene, a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.

Scientists don't yet have an explanation for how and why physical activity has a protective effect against mental decline. They just know that it does.

The results don't necessarily mean that if you participate in four or more activities, you develop insurance against mental deterioration. Nor does it mean that if you participate in only one activity, you're increasing your risk for dementia.

Here's how you can build a diverse fitness regimen:

Get a thorough evaluation first from your doctor to see if there are any health problems that need to be considered.

Know the four components of exercise that helps older adults: endurance, which improves the health of the heart, lungs and circulatory system; strength, which makes you capable of carrying your own weight and lifting objects without injuring yourself; balance, which helps prevent falls; and flexibility, which helps you move and reach for objects with less difficulty.

Start slowly with one type of activity you enjoy, then add on. If you've been walking, add several minutes of gentle stretches to your regimen after your walk. Work up to 15 minutes of stretching every day. Then, try strength training

Remember that your state of fitness is personal. An exercise regimen that works for a friend may not work for you if your fitness levels are vastly different. So tailor your program to your own fitness. For example, if you're in a yoga class, and you find that you can't reach as far as the others can, avoid trying to keep up. Your body will become more flexible in time, but rushing to get there is inviting injury.

Pay special attention to form. This is critical in strength- training and flexibility exercises. For example, bend at the hips, not at the waist. Keep the back straight, but not rigid.

Challenge your body. If an exercise is becoming too easy, take it up a notch. Go for a longer period or longer distance or increase the intensity.

Source: Advocate; Baton Rouge, La.

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