On March 30, about 25 people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and their family members learned about the benefits of physical activity for healthy memories at “Exercise Your Way to Better Brain Health,” held at the American Family DreamBank in Madison, Wisconsin. The class is part of an ongoing Healthy Living with MCI quarterly educational series that offers information on brain health and reducing risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
Exercise physiologists with the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Sarah Lose and Max Gaitan, presented “Exercise and the Brain.” Attendees learned that about one-half of Alzheimer’s disease cases are linked to risk factors that people have control in managing. Seven major risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease were identified:
- Diabetes
- Midlife hypertension
- Midlife obesity
- Smoking
- Depression
- Cognitive inactivity or low educational attainment
- Physical inactivity
Lose and Gaitan detailed several studies pointing to the positive benefits of exercise in maintaining memory and thinking abilities in people with mild cognitive impairment. The pair also led the group through a number of activities and example exercises to incorporate into their lives, including chair sit-to-stands, seated quad raises, high-knee bends, side skippers, arm circles, and shoulder rolls.
You can learn more about incorporating exercise and physical activity into your life with this guide from the National Institute on Aging.
The Healthy Living with MCI series is co-sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association South Center Wisconsin Chapter. Dr. Nathaniel Chin, a memory clinical doctor with UW Health, is medical director of the series. All classes are free and open to the public.
“UW researchers: Exercise can help with some memory problems” aired on March 30, 2019, on WKOW TV Channel 27.
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