Aging Brains And Senior Balance Exercises

Senior Balance Exercises For Help Cognition

By Suzanne Stoke, Physical Therapist @ Exercise For Balance via www.exerciseforbalance.com

 More and more medical research has focused on the way the brain ages in older adults and what treatments like nutrition, physical fitness and senior balance exercises can be helpful to reduce the speed and effects of aging. Please see   http://www.exerciseforbalance.com/buy-now As an example, new information was recently presented at the American Heart Association. The medical researchers have shown that evidence just keeps piling up that confirms the connection between good physical fitness and good mental fitness.  The connection between adequate physical and mental health seems to be particularly evident as people age into their sixties. Seniors in the best physical condition tend to have the best mental abilities. The latest research finds those with poor physical fitness in their 40s may have lower brain volumes at age 60. This is an indication of accelerated brain aging seen among many senior citizens. Nicole L. Spartano, Ph.D., lead author and a postdoctoral fellow at the Boston University School of Medicine noted, "Many people don't start worrying about their brain health until later in life, but this study provides more evidence that certain behaviors and risk factors in midlife may have consequences for brain aging later on."  A subset of 1,271 participants from the Framingham Offspring Study participated in exercise treadmill testing in the 1970s, when their average age was 41.  Starting in 1999, when their average age was 60, they underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of their brains as well as cognitive tests. The participants did not have heart disease or cognitive problems at the beginning of the study, and none were taking medication that alters heart rate. In individuals with low fitness levels, the blood pressure and heart rate responses to low levels of exercise are often much higher than in individuals with better fitness. "Small blood vessels in the brain are vulnerable to changes in blood pressure and can be damaged by these fluctuations," Spartano said.  "Vascular damage in the brain can contribute to structural changes in the brain and cognitive losses. In our investigation we wanted to determine whether exaggerated blood pressure fluctuations during exercise were related to later structural changes in the brain." The researchers found:

  ● People who had a lower fitness level or greater increase in diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) or heart rate a few minutes into the low-intensity treadmill test (2.5 miles an hour) had smaller brain tissue volume later in life.

  ● People who had a larger increase in diastolic blood pressure during low-intensity exercise also performed more poorly on a cognitive test for decision-making function later in life.

Thus, poor physical fitness appears to be associated with accelerated brain aging, the researchers suggest. As a consequence, medical professionals like doctors, nurses and physical therapists recommend that individuals participate in endurance activities, strengthening exercises and senior balance exercises to maximize overall fitness levels, which contribute to better brain health.

Senior Balance Exercises For Healthy Cognition

 To minimize brain aging in later years, healthcare workers encourage older adults to perform certain senior balance exercises and strengthening exercises. Before initiating a fitness regime, it is wise to practice equilibrium routines to develop adequate stability. Fir Instance, before beginning an outdoor walking program, you can rehearse tandem walking inside along a hallway. Tandem walking involves walking along a line heel to toe with a narrow base of support. tandem walking will challenge your balance abilities and help to establish better balance for walking outside on trails or paths. YOu can learn tandem walking and other senior balance exercises in the Exercise For Balance DVD.

Senior Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

    To minimize aging in the brain, embark on a program of the best balance exercises with the Exercise For Balance DVD. The healthcare professional recommended Exercise For Balance DVD is an outstanding educational DVD to use at home or in a group setting. The easy to follow Exercise For Balance DVD comes complete with  a step by step series of top notch balance and strength exercises needed to maximize senior fitness and to perform basic activities like shopping, doing laundry,  walking, standing, cleaning house, stair climbing or to advance to high level activities like skiing, dancing, bocce ball and hiking. In the  comprehensive Exercise For Balance DVD, you will learn how to improve stability, steadiness techniques and balance routines from a balance instructor --- licensed Physical Therapist---who has worked with balance and dizziness disorders for over 25 years. Get your copy of the Exercise For Balance DVD by clicking on the BUY NOW button

  Be good to your brain by starting balance exercises today with the Exercise For Balance DVD to improve balance and prevent falls.
For more information see http://www.mayoclinic.com/health-information/