Physical Activity Boosts Brain Health

"Regular physical activity is good for your heart, muscles, and bones. Did you know it’s good for your brain too?

Physical activity can help you think, learn, problem-solve, and enjoy an emotional balance. It can improve memory and reduce anxiety or depression.

Regular physical activity can also reduce your risk of cognitive decline, including dementia. One study found that cognitive decline is almost twice as common among adults who are inactive compared to those who are active.

Regular physical activity can help you sleep and feel better, reduce the risk of some common cancers, and add years to your life.

You don’t have to be a fitness guru to reap the benefits. No matter your age or fitness level, any amount of physical activity can help..."
Brain Health 

Physical Activity Boosts Brain Health

"Regular physical activity is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Not only is it good for your muscles and bones, it can keep your brain healthy, too.

Physical activity can improve your cognitive health—helping you think, learn, problem-solve, and enjoy an emotional balance. It can improve memory and reduce anxiety or depression. But you don’t have to be a fitness guru to reap the benefits. Any amount of physical activity can help. No matter your age or fitness level, physical activity can help improve sleep, brain health, and quality of life.

Regular physical activity can also reduce your risk of cognitive decline, including dementia. One studyexternal icon found that cognitive decline is almost twice as common among adults who are inactive compared to those who are active.

Most adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity  physical activity weekly. This can be broken into 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. In addition to improving brain health, following these recommendations for physical activity can help you sleep and feel better, lose weight, reduce your risk of 20 chronic health conditions including heart disease and some cancers, and add years to your life.

What You Can Do

Healthy older adults can have cognitive decline. Learn about the important health benefits of physical activity for healthy aging.

Being active is easier than you may think. It doesn’t have to happen in one stretch. You can break up your activity across the week, and some activity is better than none. Here are four activities you can add to your daily routine to help become a healthier you:

1. Dance.
   Turn up the music at home and dance. Twisting and turning will burn calories without even feeling like exercise.
2. Be physically active while watching TV.
   Look for ways to reduce sedentary time and increase active time. For example, keep a list of quick activities, like squats or marching in place, near the remote so that you can be active during commercial breaks.
3. Add physical activity into your daily routine.
   Walking is a good way to start being active. When shopping for essential items, increase your activity by parking at the back of the parking lot and walking to the shop. Use the stairs instead of the elevator or get off transit one stop sooner.
4. Walk the dog.
   Dogs are great walking companions and can help you have an active lifestyle. One studyexternal icon found that dog owners on average walk 22 minutes more every day compared to people who don’t own a dog..."
   Brain health 

Brain Safety Starts with You

"March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. Learn how you can help prevent TBIs, including concussion.

Traumatic brain injuries, also known as TBIs, affect the lives of Americans nationwide. While anyone can experience a TBI, data show that children and older adults (age 65 and older) are at greater risk. Many TBIs, including concussions, are preventable—and you can help

Change Your Mind about Brain Injury

A TBI is caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain. The severity of a TBI may range from “mild” to “severe,” and can change the way you think, act, move, and feel. In 2013, falls accounted for almost half (47 percent) of all TBI-related emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths. Other common causes include being struck by or against an object (such as colliding with another person) and motor vehicle crashes. Learning what can cause brain injuries and how to avoid them is important and can protect persons from TBIs and their potentially devastating effects.

TBI in Children

This year, in support of Brain Injury Awareness Month, CDC released new information about sports- and recreation-related TBIs. A new report captured information from more than 2 million emergency department (ED) visits for sports- and recreation-related TBIs. Researchers found that activities that contributed to the highest number of these ED visits were football, bicycling, basketball, playground activities, and soccer.

TBI in Older Adults

Falls are the leading cause of all TBIs, and adults aged 75 and older have the highest rates of TBI-related hospitalization and death. CDC’s Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries, or STEADI initiative, is a toolkit designed to help healthcare providers incorporate fall risk assessment and individualized fall prevention interventions—such as strength and balance exercises and medication management—into their practices. Fall prevention brochures and resources for older adults and their caregivers are available here..."
Brain safety

Dance Your Way to Better Brain Health

"Join a dance class to exercise your brain and body.

Exercise is not only good for your body, it’s good for your brain! Sticking to a regular workout plan can be tough, but including activity in your routine doesn’t need to be boring. Scientists have found that the areas of the brain that control memory and skills such as planning and organizing improve with exercise.^1,2 Dance has the added dimensions of rhythm, balance, music, and a social setting that enhances the benefits of simple movement – and can be fun!

The Science of Dance

At the University of Illinois at Chicago, through the CDC-funded Prevention Research Centers’ Healthy Brain Research Network, researchers designed a Latin ballroom dance program for older sedentary adults. Participants in the program, BAILAMOS^©, reported improvements in memory, attention, and focus.³ In a separate ballroom dance program, older people experiencing mild cognitive impairment improved their thinking and memory after a 10-month-long ballroom dancing class.."
Brain health and dance

Brain Health Is Connected to Heart Health

"Did you know that the health of your brain and your heart are connected? By keeping your heart healthy, you also lower your risk for brain problems such as stroke and dementia. Learn more about the connection between the heart and brain and steps to take to keep both healthy.

Your heart pumps blood through vessels to every part of your body, including your brain. Damage to blood vessels can lead to serious health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and dementia. Keeping your blood vessels healthy can help you have a strong heart and brain.

Unhealthy Heart, Unhealthy Brain

Some health conditions and unhealthy habits can damage blood vessels, putting your heart and your brain at risk for serious problems.

• • A heart attack happens when plaque buildup or a blood clot blocks blood flow to the heart.
  • A stroke, sometimes called a “brain attack,” happens when a clot or a plaque blocks a blood vessel in the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. When this happens, brain tissue dies, which can lead to memory loss and disability.
  • A type of dementia called vascular dementia can happen as a result of a series of small, “silent” strokes, sometimes called “mini-strokes.”¹Dementia can cause memory loss, slowed thinking, and personality changes..."

Brain health