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   Older brains benefit from all types of exercise   
      
   Last updated: 30 October 2014 at 3am PST    
      
      
   Many studies have told us exercise is good for the brain. But does it depend   
   on the type of exercise? New research suggests not - at least for seniors. A   
   study of older people found the brain benefits from many types of physical   
   activities - and you don'   
   t have to go to the gym to do them.   
   cycling seniors   
   The researchers say their results are encouraging news for older people who   
   may be put off exercising just because they are reluctant to go to a gym.   
   The team, from the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, an   
   institution affiliated with the University of Montreal in Canada, reports the   
   findings in the journal AGE.   
      
   With his colleagues, lead author and exercise physiologist Dr. Nicolas   
   Berryman examined the effect of different forms of exercise on executive   
   function in older adults.   
      
   Executive function is the part of cognition that allow us to respond   
   effectively as our environment changes. For example, we use it to plan,   
   organize, pay attention, remember details and manage time and space.   
      
   There was a time when scientists believed only aerobic exercise or "cardio" -   
   for instance running, jogging, swimming and walking - could improve executive   
   function. But Dr. Berryman says more recently scientists have discovered that   
   strength-training    
   also has benefits. And now:   
      
   "Our new findings suggest that structured activities that aim to improve gross   
   motor skills can also improve executive functions, which decline as we age."   
      
   Forty-seven healthy adults aged 62 to 84 years completed the study in three   
   groups. Each group completed a training program, focusing on different   
   exercise methods. The exercise sessions took place three times a week for 8   
   weeks.   
      
   One group completed a program that focused on high-intensity aerobic exercise,   
   another focused on strength-training, and the third group performed tasks that   
   exercised gross motor activity such as coordination, balance, throwing and   
   catching a ball,    
   locomotive tasks and flexibility.   
      
   All participants underwent assessments of physical fitness and cognitive   
   performance before and after their 8-week programs. Physical fitness was   
   assessed using measures of body composition, VO2 max and maximum strength.   
   Cognitive performance was    
   measured with a standard test of executive function known as Random Number   
   Generation.   
      
   You do not have to go the gym to do exercise that benefits the brain   
   The results showed that while physical fitness only improved in the aerobics   
   and strength-training groups, all three groups showed similar improvements in   
   cognitive performance.   
      
   Many of the exercises the participants in the third group performed can easily   
   be done at home. The researchers say this is encouraging news for sedentary   
   older people who may be put off exercising just because they are reluctant to   
   go to a gym. They    
   could make a difference by just doing any activity they liked at home.   
      
   "I would like seniors to remember that they have the power to improve their   
   physical and cognitive health at any age and that they have many avenues to   
   reach this goal," Dr. Berryman urges.   
      
   Funds from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research helped finance the study.   
      
   In September 2014, Medical News Today learned of another study that also   
   reinforces the keep moving message. Researchers from the University of   
   Illinois suggested even if you exercise at the end of the day for half an   
   hour, sitting too much can be bad    
   for the brain.   
      
   Written by Catharine Paddock PhD   
      
      
   http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/284637.php   
      
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