Brain Training: How It Affects Cognition

Are you concerned about changes in cognition as you are getting older?The truth is everyone experiences slight cognitive changes during aging.

The good news? The brain has the ability to change throughout our lifetime, The caveat? As we age, the amount of effort required to elicit cognitive and physical changes increases.

One problem is, as we age, we tend to be more sedentary. In reality, the opposite should occur. We can affect behavioral, micro and macro changes by participating in a program that includes multi-modal exercise.

Research has shown that multi-modal exercise works better to slow cognitive decline than single mode exercise.

What we want is to move with thought!

Different programming can target different cognitive domains. The cognitive domains include:

Attention

Processing Speed

Executive Function

Memory

80% of older adults do NOT meet the minimum recommendation for exercise (150-300 minutes of moderate intensity each week).

Incorporating dual task exercises, which involves performing 2 tasks simultaneously, can slow cognitive decline.

Bottom line: find a class or a trainer who can program cognitive plus physical challenges during your workout. A multi-modal approach to your exercise time is ideal – think aerobic, strength training and cognitive/dual task training.