How LOW can you go to lower your risk of dementia?

Do you LOVE to exercise? Maybe you do, and maybe you don’t. Either way, the same old question remains: How much do you really need, especially when it comes to brain health and lowering your dementia risk?

A recent study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease revealed that exercising for as little as 25 minutes PER WEEK may not only protect your brain but also make it bigger!

Multiple studies have shown a connection between exercise and brain health. When it comes to the brain, getting regular exercise is linked with increased memory, improved focus and attention, better overall cognition (the ability to think and learn), and a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Scientists believe that these and other brain changes occur because exercise improves brain blood flow, reduces brain inflammation, and helps brain cells connect and grow.

But the current amount of exercise recommended for US adults is 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week – that is 2 ½ hours per week! This amount of exercise can be difficult to obtain and requires serious commitment. The good news is that the latest research shows that you can improve your brain health in as little as 25 minutes per week!

Now, there is a slight catch – your 25 minutes of exercise per week must be in the “moderate” intensity category. What exactly is “moderately” intense exercise?  It is exercise that raises your heart rate, makes your breath faster, and makes you feel warmer. It can be described as “brisk”, or where you feel you are “huffing and puffing” while working out. One of the best ways I have heard moderate exercise described is that you can converse with your workout partner, but it is not easy to hold a conversation. And yet another way to know you have reached moderate exercise intensity is that you can talk but not sing.

As always, please see your physician to ensure you are healthy enough to engage in moderate exercise.

Want to learn more? Please consider attending one of my FREE weekly seminars right here in The Villages. I will cover this and other brain health topics in a fun and interactive one-hour session.

Call now at (352) 707-5252 to reserve a seat!

Craig Curtis, MD                                                                                                                                      

Kimberly Salazar, MD

Sharon Morse Building

The Villages

http://www.craigcurtismd.com/