Yoga, tai-chi and other mild-to-moderate forms of exercise can benefit your brain and it’s ability to recall memories.
Whether you’re edging up to becoming a centarian or simply trying to get through your twenties with a level head, improving your memory can always be of benefit.
Some swear by crossword puzzles. Others grab onto things like Sudoku and blatant “thinking games”. Research is showing that getting active however, even in small amounts, could carry you even further.
“A little bit of physical activity can go a long way,” says Michael Yassa, a University of California-Irvine professor and Chancellor’s Fellow of neurobiology & behavior. “It’s encouraging to see more people keeping track of their exercise habits- by monitoring the number of steps they’re taking, for example,” he adds. “Even short walking breaks throughout the day may have considerable effects on improving memory and cognition.”
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Yassa and his team published their findings in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this September. They found that, in a study of 36 healthy young adults, just 10 minutes of mild exertion each day yields benefits for your brain.
Using high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging, the team examined subjects’ brains shortly after exercise sessions. They discovered better connectivity between the hippocampus dentate and the part of your brain that processes memories.
Researchers are hoping the discovery helps young and old, especially those facing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of age-related dementia.
