Whether you prefer low, moderate, or high-intense workouts, the benefits of physical activity for overall health are undeniable. Of course, your doctor will be the first to tell. Still, research shows that moderate to high-intensity exercises are the winners in terms of lasting impact on the brain. Thus, aerobic exercise – the one that gets your heart pumping and makes you sweat – seems to provide greater benefits. A body of research has shown that memory performance and cognitive flexibility improve with moderate-intensity exercise, while high-intensity exercise boosts peripheral BDNF and drives cognitive functions. What’s more, the benefits in cognition were substantial in seniors.
Still, it doesn’t mean you should discount the other types of exercise. On the contrary, you can still hack a wealth of benefits from weight and strength training. But how long should you exercise?
Experts recommend 2 to 2.5 hours of moderate activity weekly – approximately 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day– or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (slightly over an hour). Brisk walking, ballroom dancing, water aerobics, gardening and bike riding are some examples of moderate-intensity exercise. If you enjoy breaking a sweat, jogging, running, cycling, jumping rope, lap swimming and martial arts are great options for high-intensity activities.
The choice is yours. Though the literature is full of evidence on how exercise affects the brain, there is no clear answer on which activity is the best. So, the big takeaway here is to get moving. No doubt, your brain will thank you.