{"id":4324,"date":"2025-04-30T07:51:01","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T07:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.villages.com.au\/?p=4324"},"modified":"2025-04-30T07:51:31","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T07:51:31","slug":"move-more-think-sharper-how-physical-activity-boosts-brain-health-in-ageing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.villages.com.au\/retirement\/move-more-think-sharper-how-physical-activity-boosts-brain-health-in-ageing\/","title":{"rendered":"Move more, think sharper: how physical activity boosts brain health in ageing"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"4324\" class=\"elementor elementor-4324\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9c5c1fb elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9c5c1fb\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5041411\" data-id=\"5041411\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0a05adc elementor-drop-cap-yes elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0a05adc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;drop_cap&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.15.0 - 20-08-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>M<strong>ove more, think sharper: how physical activity boosts brain health in ageing<\/strong><\/p><p>A brisk walk, a splash of water aerobics, or even a light jog around the block \u2013 if your heart rate goes up, your brain health might too, according to new research from the University of South Australia.<\/p><p>The study, in partnership with the US-based AdventHealth Research Institute, found that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity \u2013 the kind that gets you huffing and puffing \u2013 is linked with sharper thinking, better memory and stronger mental focus in older adults.<\/p><p>And the biggest brain benefits? They showed up in people who went from doing no moderate exercise to even just five minutes a day, proving small changes can have a big impact.<\/p><p><strong>Small changes, big gains<\/strong><\/p><p>Researchers looked at data from 585 older adults (aged 65-80) in the USA-based IGNITE trial. They explored how different parts of the day \u2013 sleep, sitting time, light movement and more intense activity \u2013 influenced thinking and memory.<\/p><p>The results? A two-way relationship: do more physical activity, and brain health improves; do less, and it declines.<\/p><p><strong>Why it works<\/strong><\/p><p>UniSA researcher Dr Maddison Mellow says the study highlights how the way we use our time each day affects our cognitive performance \u2013 especially when we get moving.<\/p><p>\u201cWe found that higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity \u2013 the kind that increases your heart rate and breathing \u2013 was related to better thinking skills,\u201d she says.<\/p><p>The key improvements were seen in:<\/p><ul><li>Processing speed \u2013 how fast your brain works<\/li><li>Executive function \u2013 how well you plan, focus and multitask<\/li><li>Working memory \u2013 your ability to hold short-term information<\/li><\/ul><p>On the flip side, low levels of physical activity were linked to poorer results in these areas.<\/p><p><strong>A daily opportunity<\/strong><\/p><p>The findings didn\u2019t vary based on genetics or background \u2013 the benefits were clear across the board. While the study didn\u2019t find links to memory of events (episodic memory) or spatial awareness, the improvements in core thinking skills were enough to get researchers excited.<\/p><p>Dr Audrey Collins, a co-researcher on the project, says the take-home message is simple:<\/p><p>\u201cThere are only 24 hours in a day, and how we spend those hours can make a real difference to our brain health as we age.\u201d<\/p><p>\u201cBoosting your heart rate \u2013 even for a short time \u2013 can give your brain the same boost. It\u2019s a change many older adults can make, and it could help them stay mentally sharp longer.\u201d<\/p><p><strong>The big picture<\/strong><\/p><p>With the global population ageing rapidly, and one in six people expected to be over 60 by 2030, these findings come at a crucial time.<\/p><p>\u201cWe hope this study helps empower older adults to take charge of their health,\u201d says Dr Mellow. \u201cEven a few minutes of daily movement can help keep your brain healthy.\u201d<\/p><p>While more long-term studies are needed, this research suggests that making room for regular, higher-intensity movement could be one of the smartest steps you can take \u2013 for both your body and your brain.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Move more, think sharper: how physical activity boosts brain health in ageing A brisk walk, a splash of water aerobics, or even a light jog around the block \u2013 if your heart rate goes up, your brain health might too, according to new research from&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-retirement"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4324"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4329,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4324\/revisions\/4329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}