Dr Robert Love, a neuroscientist who specializes in helping people prevent Alzheimer’s disease with science, has shared three activities or things we must do if we are concerned about protecting our brain health so as to age gracefully and healthily, without the possibility of Lewy Body Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease afflicting our cognitive abilities.
In his Instagram post, Dr Love shares 3 exercises that will help one to retain the health of the brain cells. Citing the research work spanning over two decades accomplished by another famous neuroscientist named Dr. Elizabeth Gould (who has studied how experiences like stress, exercise, and parenting affect the birth of new neurons in the adult brain) Dr Love says that there are three things that one MUST do regularly to maintain a healthy brain.
Resistance Training
Resistance Training is also known as strength training or weight training. It involves exercises that make your muscles work against a force or resistance. This resistance can come from weights (like dumbbells or barbells), resistance bands made of rubber or elastic etc., body weight (as in push-ups or squats), or even gym machines.
A 2016 study published in The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that older women who did resistance training twice weekly for a year showed improved executive functions and memory. Resistance training improves cardiovascular function, which in turn enhances blood and oxygen delivery to the brain. Resistance training may stimulate neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to form new connections and adapt.
The resistance training exercises work the muscles in such a way that they help the release of Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF), which leads to the brain growing new cells and repairing your brain.
Dual Task Exercise
Dual‑task training involves doing two independent tasks at the same time—typically one physical and one mental. Each task is measurable on its own, and both occur concurrently to challenge the brain in a way that promotes adaptation. Dr Love credits Dr Heather Sandison, a Princeton scholar and neuroplasticity expert, for this concept.
Examples of dual-task exercises are activities like walking while being quizzed. Say, like having someone as you important personal facts — family birthdays, memorable events, trivia — during your walk, exercise, or run. Or like listening to an engaging podcast while cycling on a cycling track or watching an immersive documentary while you walk on the treadmill at home.
Leg Exercises
A landmark 2015 study published in Gerontology by researchers from King’s College London followed 324 healthy female twins over 10 years. They found that the twin with stronger legs at the start of the study retained more brain volume and performed better in cognitive tests a decade later, despite having the same genes and upbringing. How strong legs help a healthier brain may be because of a number of factors.
Legs house the largest muscles in the body (quads, hamstrings, and glutes). Working these muscles through walking, squats, or resistance training helps improve blood circulation, increase oxygen and nutrient delivery to the brain, and support healthy blood pressure, which in turn leads to a reduced stroke and dementia risk.
To strengthen your quads, hamstrings, and glutes — and support brain health — do squats, lunges, step-ups, glute bridges, and brisk uphill walking or stair climbing. Aim for 2-3 sessions per week, using bodyweight or added resistance like dumbbells for best results.
Apart from the above 3 factors, there are other helpful tips that Dr Heather Sandison, shares on her LinkedIn profile. She is the brain behind the Dual Task Exercise concept and is the NYT bestselling author of “Reversing Alzheimer’s The New Toolkit to Improve Cognition and Protect Brain Health”. She says there are six components of a healthy brain. She is also the primary author of peer reviewed research published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. She teaches lifestyle change protocols that keep your brain sharp at any age.
- Sandison lists and says that each of these six factors plays an integral part in the overall functioning of the brain.
- Toxins can keep your body in defence mode and divert resources away from creating new neurons and neural connections.
- Nutrients can either help (think amino acids, vitamins and minerals in the food you eat) or harm your brain (think carbs and sugars).
- Stress, while important to some degree, can make your brain hyperfocus on getting out of a stressful situation, and that means it has no reason to form new neural connections.
- Structure refers to the physical makeup, and includes genetics, chronic pain, and even the shape of your airways.
- Infections divert resources away from the brain and can cause damage directly to the brain itself by sending the brain into protection mode and stimulating inflammation.
- Signalling refers to the chemical messengers in the body that interact with the brain, including hormones, proteins, and peptides.
Dr. Heather Sandison’s holistic approach to brain health reminds us that cognitive resilience isn’t built by one factor alone, but by a synergy of lifestyle choices and internal balance.
From protecting the brain against toxins and infections to nourishing it with the right nutrients and managing stress, each of these six components plays a pivotal role in shaping how our brains age and function.
Kirti Pandey is a senior independent journalist.
[Disclaimer: The information provided in the article, including treatment suggestions shared by doctors, is intended for general informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.]
Check out below Health Tools-
Calculate Your Body Mass Index ( BMI )
Calculate The Age Through Age Calculator