Exercise Boosts Memory Immediately After Training
Moderate exercise session increases memory performance.
University of Maryland researchers found that healthy adults ages 55–85 did better on a memory task just after a moderate exercise session than they did after resting. Measurements of brain activity showed significantly more activation in memory-related areas of the brain immediately following physical activity.
“Just like a muscle adapts to repeated use, single sessions of exercise may flex cognitive neural networks in ways that promote adaptations over time and [lead] to increased network integrity and function and allow more efficient access to memories,” said principal investigator J. Carson Smith, PhD, associate professor of kinesiology in the University of Maryland School of Public Health.
The study was published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (2019; 25 [6], 557–68).
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
