Healthy brain activity of the elderly for aging

As we get older, the size of the human brain actually decreases too. As a result, not a few elderly people experience disturbances in their memory, such as difficulty learning new things or remembering promises that have been made. However, it turns out that there are certain activities that are healthy and good for the brains of the elderly.

What are the activities?

Healthy activities to strengthen the brains of the elderly

Changes in brain size due to age can actually affect a person's memory. For those who are young, maybe occasionally forgetting is not a problem.

However, it is not the case for the elderly. They are more anxious when they have trouble remembering something, whether it's due to memory problems or Alzheimer's disease.

One of the causes of reduced memory ability in the elderly is brain shrinkage. This shrinkage that occurs in the frontal lobes and hippocampus affects cognitive function and new memory storage sites.

Shrinkage in the brain can actually be slowed down by doing a variety of healthy activities, especially for the elderly. A study from the American Academy of Neurology shows that there are certain activities that slow down brain shrinkage.

For the elderly who are accustomed to morning walks, gardening, swimming, dancing regularly have bigger brains than their less active friends. In fact, this positive effect is said to reduce the risk of brain shrinkage by up to 4 years.

In these studies, experts use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine the brains of 1,557 elderly. The participants who took part in this study varied, from those who regularly exercised to those who did not have physical activity.

The elderly were then divided into three groups based on their level of activity, namely:

not exercising for an entire week
exercise at low, moderate, and high intensity for 1-2 hours each week
very active and regularly exercise 2-7 hours of various types a week

They also underwent a series of logic tests, memory tests, and physical examinations. In fact, the elderly were also asked to write down their daily activities in addition to these sports.

As a result, the average brain size of the active elderly was 883 cubic centimeters. Meanwhile, those who rarely do physical activity actually have brains with an average size of 871 cubic centimeters. This difference that may appear slightly is the same as the 4-year period of brain aging.

Therefore, the researchers concluded that healthy activities such as exercise can slow brain aging in the elderly.

So, what are the activities that are healthy for the brains of the elderly?

In fact, the aim of the study was to motivate the elderly to stay active in sports. This is because with increasing age, people tend to be lazy to exercise or just move.

In fact, the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends adults to the elderly to exercise at moderate intensity for 150 minutes each week. However, only a quarter of people in the United States live this healthy lifestyle.

Therefore, the results of this study are shared so that the elderly are willing to carry out healthy activities that can slow down brain aging.

The question is, what healthy activities are suitable for the elderly?

1. Aerobic exercise

One of the healthy activities that can slow brain aging in the elderly is aerobic exercise.

Aerobics usually includes brisk walking, jogging, cycling, dancing and swimming. Seniors are encouraged to do one of these sports options for 150 minutes at moderate intensity or 75 minutes with a higher difficulty level each week.

They are also advised to undergo aerobics at least 3 days a week so as not to tire quickly and reduce the risk of injury.

2. Exercise that strengthens muscles

Apart from aerobics, another healthy activity that is healthy for the elderly's brain is exercise that aims to strengthen muscles.

Having activities that strengthen muscles at least 2 times a week is good for brain health. Here are some examples of activities for stronger muscles for the elderly.

yoga
tai chi
bring groceries
gardening

3. Balance the body

Apparently, the balance of the body also affects brain health. Therefore, training the balance of the body is part of a healthy activity for the brain of the elderly.

This is because the elderly are more prone to falls and need to concentrate when maintaining their balance. By doing the following methods, you may reduce the risk of falling and hitting your head, which will keep your brain healthy and slow down its shrinkage.

Normally, the elderly are advised to practice balance 3-4 times a week. Some of the things below can usually help train the balance of people who are over 65 years of age.

walking backward or sideways
walk on the heel of the foot
stand up from a sitting position

However, physical activity needs to be supported by a healthy diet to slow down the aging of the brain in the elderly. Therefore, it is possible to increase age, but awareness to maintain health is not allowed to age.