The best exercises to improve brain health after age 60

Have you ever wondered why we have brain? The obvious answer might be “think.” But scientist Daniel Wolpert came up with a completely different explanation 2011 meeting : :

“We have a brain for one reason and one reason only: to produce flexible and complex movements.”

Use your brain to stay efficient

In other words, the brain is the conductor of the orchestra that manages the movements of the body. We call them abilities that allow us to interact with our environment. These include concentrating, learning, reasoning, adapting and communicating with others. Each of them is key to enabling us to carry out our daily duties and maintain a good lifestyle.

So how can we best take care of our brain so that it can remain fully effective for as long as possible? Contrary to popular belief, the brain does not continually deteriorate as we age. Instead, all he sees is a decline in brain cells and deterioration of connections from the age of 45 as part of the normal aging process. But brain plasticity, although reduced, persists for life. Every person will accumulate cognitive reserve throughout their life.

The more positive, rich and stimulating your lifestyle, the more powerful and effective the reserve is. In other words, it is possible to moderate the effects of age on cognitive function.

The impact of physical activity on cognitive abilities after the age of 60

In fact, many studies show that physical activity improves cognitive abilities even after the age of 60. From increased memory, better reactivity to greater planning skills, the benefits are endless.

Despite this, few older people engage in this activity physical education regularly adjusted to their body. Poor motivation and access to these exercises are just some of the factors that do not help.

With this in mind, many caregivers may be tempted to offer older adults monotonous, routine activities due to their declining physical, cognitive and sensory abilities. And indeed, for a long time, the sports offer and research in this area revolved around the same triptych: gentle gymnastics, walking and yoga. However, this will give you more benefits combining different training methods.

Three ingredients for training the brains of seniors

Scientists are now trying to crack the winning formula that would flex the cognitive and physical muscles of older adults. It will consist of three main ingredients:

Moderate cardio training not only improves cardiorespiratory health, but also improves brain function efficient. In turn, overall improvement in cardio fitness allows the brain to receive and even generate more oxygen new neurons in the hippocampuswhere memory is located.

Therefore, it makes sense that programs aimed at improving cognitive function include cardio exercise. But that’s how it is it is necessary to combine them with muscle strengthening, flexibility and balance exercises to achieve greater benefits. In addition, researchers emphasize the importance of adding situations requiring complex motor skills and coordination, as they would have a significant impact on cognitive functions (e.g., memory, attention, and mental flexibility), especially in older adults.

Incorporating cognitive stimulation, such as remembering information over a period of time and executing it, anticipating actions, or planning a movement, is another winning strategy. When cognitive stimulation is combined with physical activity, it can trigger synergistic effects and, as a result, affect cognitive functions more effectively.

_Third component: group activities leading to social interactions. _

It has been shown that working in a group can help us persevere with it.

Research is still ongoing on what this winning formula might look like in practice. Currently, our attention has been drawn to two types of exercises that can help older people stay physically fit.

Deciding on cooperative and oppositional team sports

Team sports offer much more than just physical exercise sessions. What’s especially great about them is that they not only challenge your cardiorespiratory balance, but use the entire body’s physical skill set.

Take basketball or handball for example: balance, coordination and flexibility are required to move around the court, dribble or score points. Muscle strength is also required for passing, retrieving the ball and moving. These team sports can be played even after the age of 60, provided proper supervision.

From a cognitive point of view, these activities create situations that are always new, rich and stimulating. We call this a double stimulus combination. Many researchers have emphasized the importance of cognitive involvement in team sports and encouraged their practice, especially among older people.

Latest research, e.g the one carried out in 2022 French researchers have shown that participation in team sports improves short-term visuospatial memory (which allows, for example, remembering the location of specific objects for a limited time) and planning skills in older people.

Get your body moving with exercise

Another promising option is video games that require players to move to play. Named after a combination of the words “exercise” and “games,” they gained popularity in the 2000s with Nintendo’s Wii and Switch consoles and Microsoft’s Kinect.

Exogames are designed to practice various fitness skills such as balance, endurance, strength and coordination, while also stimulating cognitive functions. Among the elderly, some research show that this type of training allows you to improve many physical and cognitive abilities.

2020 saw the emergence of a new generation of exer games that use interactive walls to create even more immersive gaming experiences, such as Neo Xperiences, Sphery and Lü’s. In these games that combine the real and virtual worlds, physical objects (such as balls) and digital objects coexist and interact in real time.

AND recent research compared an gymnastic exercise program supported by an immersion wall with a walking and muscle strengthening program. The results suggest that the new generation of exergy games may have a more effective impact on cognitive abilities than traditional training.

A combination of physical and cognitive exercise gives you the best chance of maintaining brain health while staying fit. This is essential for an active and fulfilling life, regardless of age.