Avoiding dementia. No one else is going to do it for you.
Would you like to reduce your risk of getting dementia? The news about medication is so depressing because the side effects are awful and even if it works it might be unaffordable. What if there was a way of reducing your risk that costs very little? Would you be interested if we could say that it has side effects that incidentally reduce your risk of strokes, improves your mood, makes it less likely that you will fall over and break a bone?
What is this miracle thing? Exercise!
“If you don’t fancy the gym, brisk walking and doing housework or keeping up with the garden can be just as good. The thing is to keep moving. ”
Many studies have shown that if you do exercise that increases your heart rate, you will improve your thinking and memory, and may even reduce the risk of dementia. Regular exercise can reduce the risk of developing dementia by about 30%. Compared with other things like smoking, drinking, keeping the right weight and eating the right things, exercise comes out on top as the best thing for reducing the risk of dementia. If you combine all of those things, the risk is reduced by 60% according to the Alzheimers Society.
Long term studies that follow people all their life are ideal. Research is often done using only younger people. But there is evidence that even very old people, over the age of 80 can reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s disease through physical activity. A study of 638 people in Scotland showed that for people who kept active in their 70s were less likely to experience shrinking of the brain.
How do you know if your exercise routine is enough? You don’t have to go to the gym, although my local gym is full of silver haired people much older even than me. They are there for the social contact, coffee bar and free use of the showers and swimming pool, more than weight lifting. If you don’t fancy the gym, brisk walking and doing housework or keeping up with the garden can be just as good. The thing is to keep moving.
Exercise is good for your heart, and anything that is good for your heart is also good for your head. Improving circulation and improving your mood are vital. It is often noticed that even in people who don’t have impairment, there’s a bit of cognitive slowing over time. Exercise can counter that. If you don’t want to be frail, do everything you can to stay upright. Practice “squats” on a chair, just sitting up and down. Stretch and reach up as much as you can. Find a way of fitting in a walk in your daily routine. Go up and down the stairs as much as you can. If you start now, you will get results a whole day earlier than if you start tomorrow.
No one else is going to do it for you!
