Have you ever wondered why we now have brains? The obvious answer could be “thinking.” But scientist Daniel Wolpert offered a wholly different explanation. 2011 meeting of :
“We have brains for one reason and one reason only: to produce adaptive and complex movements.”
Use your brain to be efficient.
The mind, in other words, is the orchestra conductor that commands the movements of the body. We call these faculties that allow us to interact with our surroundings. These include concentrating, learning, reasoning, adapting and interacting with others. Each of them is vital in helping us follow our routines and maintain lifestyle.
So, how can we best care for our brains so that they could be as efficient as possible? Contrary to popular belief, the brain doesn't consistently deteriorate with age. Instead, it just sees its brain cells decrease in number and connections deteriorate. From the age of 45 As a part of the traditional aging process. But brain plasticity, although reduced, exists until the tip of life. Every individual will construct knowledge reserves throughout their life.
The more positive, wealthy and stimulating the approach to life, the more powerful and effective the reserve. In other words, it is feasible to moderate the consequences of age on cognition.
Benefits of physical activity on cognitive ability after 60
In fact, considerable research shows that physical activity improves cognitive ability even after age 60. The benefits are endless.
Nevertheless, few older people engage in physical education tailored to their bodies regularly. Poor motivation and access to those exercises are a number of the aspects that don't help.
With this in mind, many caregivers could also be tempted to supply dull, routine activities to older people resulting from their declining physical, cognitive, and sensory abilities. And indeed, for a very long time, the range of sports on offer and research on this field revolved around a single triptych: gentle gymnastics, walking and yoga. However, you'll get more advantages. Integrating different training methods.
Three components to coach the brain of senior residents
Researchers are currently attempting to crack this winning formula that may flex the cognitive and physical muscles of older people. It will consist of three primary components:
Moderate cardio exercise not only improves cardiorespiratory health, but in addition improves the brain. effective. Better overall cardio fitness, in turn, allows the brain to receive and even produce more oxygen. New neurons in the hippocampuswhere the memory is listed.
So it is smart for programs designed to spice up cognitive function to incorporate cardio. But additionally it is It is important to combine them with muscle strengthening, flexibility and balance exercises to get the maximum benefits.. In addition, the The researchers Emphasize the importance of including situations requiring complex motor skills and coordination, as these could have a major impact on cognitive functions (eg, memory, attention, and mental flexibility), especially within the elderly.
Adding cognitive stimulation, equivalent to remembering and acting on information for a time period, anticipating actions, or planning an motion, is one other winning strategy. When cognitive stimulation is combined with physical activity, it might probably produce Synergistic effects and, consequently, be more practical on cognitive functions.
_The third component: group activities that result in social interaction. _
Working as a part of a gaggle has been shown to assist us. Be patient through it.
What this winning formula looks like in practice remains to be being researched. Currently, there are two broad kinds of exercises which have attracted our attention that may also help older people stay sharp.
A choice of cooperative and adversarial team games
Team sports offer way more than simply physical exertion sessions. What's special about them is that they not only challenge the cardiovascular balance, but in addition the physical skills of the entire body.
Take basketball or handball, for instance: to maneuver across the court, dribble or rating, balance, coordination and suppleness are essential. Passing, fixing the ball and moving around also require muscle strength. These team sports could also be suitable even after the age of 60, provided they're properly supervised.
From a cognitive perspective, these activities create situations which are all the time recent, wealthy, and stimulating. We call this dual set of stimuli. Several researchers have highlighted the importance of this cognitive involvement in team sports and encouraged their practice, especially among the many elderly.
Recent studies, e.g Which was done in 2022. French researchers have shown that participating in team sports improves short-term visual memory (which enables people, for instance, to recollect the placement of specific objects for a limited time period). ) and planning skills within the elderly.
Activate your body with exercise.
Another promising avenue is video games that require players to maneuver around to play. Named after a contraction of “exercise” and “games”, they became popular within the 2000s because of Nintendo's Wii and Switch and Microsoft's Kinect.
Exogames are thought to enhance various fitness skills, equivalent to balance, endurance, strength, and coordination, while concurrently stimulating cognitive functions. In older people, Several research studies Show that this sort of training helps improve many physical and cognitive skills.
In 2020, a brand new generation of sports games emerged, using interactive partitions to create a fair more immersive gaming experience, equivalent to Neo Xperiences', Sphery's and Lü's. In these games combining the true and virtual worlds, physical objects (equivalent to balls) and digital objects coexist and interact in real time.
Oh A recent study Compare an exercise program supported by an immersive wall with a walking and muscle strengthening program. The results suggest that this recent generation of exercises could also be more practical on cognitive abilities than traditional training.
A mixture of physical and cognitive exercises provides the most effective opportunity to take care of mental health while staying fit. It's essential for an lively and fulfilling life, irrespective of what your age.