It pains me to admit, growing up in central North Dakota, that it was a rare experience for me to witness an adult engaging in rigorous physical activity simply to maintain or improve their physical and mental health. It isn’t commonplace in the Midwest for individuals to subject themselves to physical activity as a means of cognitive enhancement or preservation despite all the evidence to support it as an efficacious strategy.
I’m passionate about the subject because the effects of Alzheimer’s and dementia have been highly prevalent in my family’s history. I had grandparents on both sides of my family that dealt with significant neurocognitive deficits and decline that I am certain, now, could have been managed or even reversed, had they been willing to change their diet and engage consistently in physical activity. Most people think of physical activity as something that we engage in to stave off unwanted physical or biological traits from the neck down, but the evidence is incredibly robust in support of physical activity as a means to preserve and improve physiological traits that display themselves from the neck up. I’ll share some evidence in this writing that will hopefully convince you that consistent physical activity gives you the best possible chance of staying sharp as a whip long into old age.
According to Mandolesi (2018) physical activity acts as a strong gene modulator that creates structural and functional changes in our brains. These structural and functional changes facilitate enormous benefit on cognitive functioning and well-being. Some of the benefits include staving off neurodegeneration, the death or loss of function of brain cells; improving brain plasticity, the ability for our brain cells to adapt and change their structure or function; and emotional regulation. The cross-stressor adaptation hypothesis (Lox, Martin Ginis, Petruzzello, 2014) suggests that intense physical activity may actually provide us with a physiological experience similar to that of stress and anxiety and actually help us better cope with the effects when we face them in our external environment. Yes, I’m telling you that there is scientific evidence to suggest that people who engage in rigorous physical activity are actually cognitively sharper and manage stressful situations better than those who do not.
I think people in our country have learned to live with carrying a little extra weight and it is socially acceptable to do so. Selling exercise as a means to change or optimize body image, therefore, isn't likely to move the needle the way we'd like. People need to understand is that if you aren’t consistently engaging in physical activity, you are not doing everything you can to keep your brain functioning at the highest level possible. Even if your only goal is to be the smartest person in the room, you should be exercising. If you want to absorb and retain information more efficiently, exercise. Want to be able to critically think your way through problems and provide actionable solutions quicker and easier? Exercise. Want to be easier to get along with? Exercise. Want to give yourself the best chance possible to avoid neurodegeneration associated with diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s? Exercise.
Engaging in consistent rigorous physical activity is so much more than wanting to have chiseled arms and washboard abs. Chasing aesthetic goals doesn’t have to be your thing. You don’t have to care about looking great in a bathing suit or moving like a professional athlete, but I do believe not caring about preserving (or optimizing) the function of your brain for your time on this earth makes you selfish. According to the Institute for Neurogenerative Diseases, people suffering from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases cost our nation nearly $200 billion every year in patient care and lost productivity. Add that to the American Diabetes Association's estimate that Type 2 Diabetes; a disease that is man-made and can be reversed through diet and exercise, costs us $327 billion per year and you can see that we have an existential crisis on our hands. Unless something is done to eradicate these diseases, the cost is estimated to increase to the trillions by 2050. It is, quite literally, your responsibility to society to take care of yourself. With more of the baby boomer generation moving closer to retirement it is imperative that they find ways to stay active or else the impact of neurocognitive diseases on the Medicare and Medicaid systems may be unsustainable. Living in a country that seems to be closer and closer every year to implementing a health care system funded by tax payer dollars, this scares the hell out of me. Our current model will undoubtedly bankrupt us if people don't take ownership of their own health.
Barnes (2015) has shown that there are many different modes of regular exercise that can improve cognitive function through beneficial adaptations in vascular physiology and improved neurovascular coupling (more blood flow to the brain), so pick literally anything that gets your blood flowing and makes you feel better. Going for a brisk walk, taking in a yoga session, going for a bike ride, lifting weights, playing sports, working hard in the back yard are all great options. The key is to stay busy and never stop challenging yourself physically and cognitively.
The great philosopher Plato once said, "In order for man to succeed in life, God provided him with two means: education and physical activity. Not separately, one for the soul and the other for the body, but for the two together. With these means, man can attain perfection."
Now get off the couch and find something to do.
References
Barnes, J.N. (2015) Exercise, cognitive function, and aging. Advances in Physiology Education, 39(2), 55-62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/advan.00101.2014
Lox, C. L., Martin Ginis, K. A., & Petruzzello, S. J. (2014). The psychology of exercise: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). Scottsdale, AZ: Holcomb Hathaway.
Institute for Neurogenerative Disease. (2013) Retrieved from: https://ind.ucsf.edu/supporting-our-work/cost-dementia
Mandolesi, L., Polverino, A., Montuori, S., Foti, F., Ferraioli, G., Sorrentino, P., Sorrentinio, G. (2018) Effects of physical exercise on cognitive functioning and wellbeing: Biological and physchological benefits. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 509.
