Make Your Brain 5 Years Younger?!

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

“All washed up.”

“Over the hill.”

I’m tired of society programming you to think that you should start expecting less out of life once you reach a certain age.

Last I checked, chronological age is NOT a marker of vitality—physically OR mentally.

Truth is, it’s never too late to take positive steps for your health. And a recent study published by the journal of the American Academy of Neurology highlighted a simple way older people can improve their thinking and memory.

The best part?

You can get started right away.

We tend to think of exercise as being beneficial for your waistline and your heart.

But it’s invaluable for brain health, too.

For this particular study, researchers studied 206 adults averaging 66 years old who participated in an aerobic exercise class three days a week for up to 40 minutes.  They also worked out on their own once a week.

After six months, tests of executive function improved by 5.7 percent, and tests of verbal fluency improved by 2.4 percent.

That might not sound like a huge improvement, but to put it in perspective, it brings the scores up to those typically seen in someone 5 years younger.

That’s like taking 5 years off your brain’s age!

These brain functions are responsible for important things like mental flexibility and how quickly you retrieve information.

Declines in verbal fluency show up in practical ways, like when you can’t remember a street name that you’ve known for years, or that movie you’ve seen dozens of times, or the name of that “food flipper” (the spatula).

I’m guessing you’ve experienced slips like that from time to time.

This study showed, in a very practical way, that regular exercise can help improve that part of the brain that helps reduce those mental slips.

Ultrasounds also revealed that the participants experienced an increase in blood flow to the brain, particularly in areas of the brain that are important for verbal skills, memory, and mental sharpness.

At an age when you’d normally see DECREASES in these brain functions, these tests showed that exercise alone can actually IMPROVE your mental capacity.

Looks like you really CAN teach an old dog new tricks after all.