Why Staying Active May Prevent May Prevent Dementia And Protect Your Cognitive Health

After my Mum was diagnosed with Alzheimers I began studying passionately about ways to help her cope with it and also since I knew there was a history of dementia in the family on my mother's side to do all I could to make sure that I stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible given there is a known link between lifestyle choices and the risk of dementia as you age.

One of the most robust - and most studied - is physical activity.  It’s not just good for your muscles and heart, but also your brain.

Having survived the pandemic and being told to go out and walk every day it was clear there was a message to this as far as both mental and physica wellness is concerned and Chris and I made sure we walked every day and were lucky enough to live in a beautiful part of the English countryside with miles of beautiful walks to enjoy.

To be honest we really hadn't thought that much about how important it was and it was not long before a good habit was formed.

But what kinds of exercise are best and how much exercise should we be doing

Exercise isn’t a pill, so it can’t be patented. But while that makes it far less marketable, it’s no less remarkable. We’ve known for millennia that lifestyle plays a major role in the development (or not) of chronic disease. And studies conducted over the past half-century show conclusively that exercise is one of the best lifetyle tools for healthy aging and the prevention and management of a wide variety of conditions and diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, stroke — and dementia.

Prevention of that last one, dementia, has a particularly strong association with exercise. Alzheimer’s organizations recommend exercise as a means to reduce the risk of the disease. And it can also be beneficial for people already living with the disease.

So, how does exercise impact the brain in such a positive way? What do the studies really say about dementia and Alzheimer’s prevention and management? And are there any particular exercises that are most beneficial for dementia?

In this article I found you can find out more

I hope you get some real value from it and find a way to add exercise in some way, shape or form  to your life as it's very clear that something is definitely better than nothing

I am passionate about better health and mental wellbeing post menopause as my story is proves the importance of how we can all take better care of ourselves as we age and with a lot of luck and self care can keep going for a lot longer than we ever expected

Do let me know what you think after reading this article or if you want some information on my favourite supplements I take for keeping my body in tip top shape

If you are outside of the USA then you can see them here if you are in the UK and change the flag to your preferred country in other parts of Europe or Asia