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fountain of youth,” says Sharon Brangman, MD, president of the American Geriatrics Society. “Do something you enjoy, and it won’t feel like torture. And if you have a buddy with you, you’ll add a social component, so it won’t be so onerous.” Here are some of the big benefits you’ll reap:


Walk. Run. Spin. Lift. We’ve all heard how important it is to exercise. After all, it’s the key to maintaining a healthy weight, so you can look good and squeeze into those jeans, right? In reality, of course, exercise is so much more than that. It’s an anti-aging remedy, a bone booster, and a sleep tonic, all rolled into one. “Everyone talks about getting Botox®


, but exercise is the true


More Brain Power


01


A good workout can do wonders for your brain. For starters, regular exercise can improve memory and cognitive function. “Exercise turns on the genes that make a type of growth hormone for the brain, known as BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor),” says David Perlmutter, MD, a neurologist in Naples, FL, and author of Power Up Your Brain (Hay House, 2011). ”BDNF enhances the way brain cells connect to each other and the growth of new brain cells, and serves to protect existing brain cells from damage.” This benefit may also help reduce your


risk for Alzheimer’s. “Degeneration of the brain’s memory center, the hippocampus, is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease,” Perlmutter says. “Regular aerobic exercise is associated with an annual growth of the hippocampus by an astounding two percent as opposed to the normal process of aging in which this area loses about one to two percent of its mass each year.” According to the Alzheimer’s Association, regular physical exercise may be a beneficial strategy to lower the risk of


Alzheimer’s. The association recommends a medically approved exercise program as a valuable part of any wellness plan.


Sounder Sleep 02


Recent research from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL, found that adults age 55 and older who had insomnia improved their sleep patterns by doing two 20-minute bouts of aerobic exercise four times a week, or one 30- to 40-minute workout four times a week. “We don’t know exactly why it helps


us sleep better, but we have some ideas,” says Phyllis Zee, MD, the lead author of the study and associate director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Northwestern. “Exercise spurs metabolism and our metabolic need for sleep. Physical fitness decreases inflammation and stress, and also lifts our mood, which can help us sleep.”


FALL / WINTER 2011 pause 31


Kalmatsuy Tatyana/Shutterstock.com, Ariwasabi/Shutterstock.com


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