Brain Boost: You’ve Got To Move It, Move It

To keep your mind sharp, keep your body active. And it may not even matter what kind of exercise you do: As long as you’re moving you’re benefiting your brain, say exercise physiologists who recently compared different training methods.

Researchers divided volunteers ages 62 to 84 into three groups for a study conducted at Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, Canada. Two of the groups followed a high-intensity aerobic and strength-training program. The third group performed tasks to improve coordination, balance, locomotive skills and flexibility.

Although only those who exercised strenuously saw physical fitness improvements, all the groups showed equivalent improvement in cognitive performance, according to the study published in the journal Age.