Exercises For Reducing Age-Related Cognitive Decline
Today’s Topic Highlights:
Although public awareness of the importance of maintaining muscle mass in old age is growing, comparatively little emphasis is placed on exercises for maintaining cognitive functions.
Nearly a third of Americans aged 65 or older live with some level of cognitive impairment.
According to Yale Medicine, about 10 to 15% of people with MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment) will develop dementia within one year, and one-third will develop Alzheimer's disease within five years.
Exercises focusing on right/left limb coordination, multi-tasking, movement sequences, and breath work all help to maintain or even improve current cognitive functions.
Be creative and come up with some of your own exercises! Use the examples given here as a lead. Remember, even just the act of thinking creatively is exercising the very faculties you are trying to preserve.
The onset of cognitive decline introduces a frustrating and life altering reality for many older individuals. Although public awareness of the importance of maintaining muscle mass is growing, comparatively little emphasis is placed on exercises for maintaining cognitive functions. Anything that can be done to slow down or avoid cognitive decline is well worth investing time and effort into. Fortunately, there are some beneficial measures that can be taken by those concerned with this issue.
Cognitive decline is characterized by marked changes in various cognitive abilities. Among those abilities most affected are memory, attention, decision-making, language, and executive functions. Common signs of cognitive decline include the following:
Habitually losing or misplacing things.
Struggling to find the right word in conversation.
Difficulty judging spatial relations (ex: driving).
Forgetting recent events.
Loss of motivation for previously enjoyed hobbies.
Nearly a third of Americans aged 65 or older live with some level of cognitive impairment. While Alzheimer’s takes the lion’s share of attention related to cognitive decline, a less commonly discussed but equally noteworthy condition is Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). It essentially stands as the midpoint between normal aging and Alzheimer’s. What distinguishes the two is that the changes experienced by those with MCI don’t affect their ability to perform day-to-day activities - yet.
According to Yale Medicine, about 10 to 15% of people with MCI will develop dementia within one year, and one-third will develop Alzheimer's disease within five years.1 This is where preventative measures of any kind can serve as a potential long term buffer to further decline.
Traditional gym exercises may provide some secondary cognitive benefits, but realistically they are only addressing the musculoskeletal system. Those living with MCI need to intentionally exercise their central nervous system. Exercises focusing on right/left limb coordination, multi-tasking, movement sequences, and breath work all help to maintain or even improve current cognitive functions. These are the types of exercises that can strengthen neural pathways associated with daily living tasks.