Seniors who lift weights or participate in other forms of resistance training can slow the advancement of dementia.
Researchers at Vancouver Coastal Health and the University of British Columbia observed 86 women, 70 to 80 years old, with mild cognitive impairment during a six-month strength training program.
The exercise classes were held twice weekly and they significantly helped improve their attention, problem-solving and decision-making brain functions, according to the B.C. study.
Exercise has always been three-fold for personal trainer Joey Palladini who has helped seniors build their mind, body and soul through fitness training at his Nanaimo studio.
The physical benefits for seniors who do strength exercises on a regular basis are visibly obvious when it comes to better balance, strength and mobility. But the improvement of cognitive performance and brain function is just as impressive.
Joan Murray, 64, has trained with Palladini at Able Body Consulting Studios for two years.
The active writer and painter does a lot to keep her mind busy, but to know her weight training might be giving her brain a workout as well as her body is an added incentive to hit the gym.
The study showed improvement in two processes that are highly sensitive to the effects of aging and neurodegeneration, executive function and associative memory, which are often impaired in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.
Associative memory refers to the ability of one thought or memory to trigger another, like red means stop. And executive function refers to conflict resolution.
Almost one-third had functional MRIs at the start and end of the study to look for brain activity changes and the strength-training group showed significant cognitive improvement, said researchers in this week's issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
"I don't (weight train) because I want to live longer," said Murray, while she warmed up on the exercise bike before her hour-long workout Wednesday.
"I do it because I want to live good."
Murray, who will "officially" be a senior in May, has noticed a breadth of improvements in her daily life that she attributes to her bi-weekly weight lifting workouts.
Her flexibility is better. She has more energy and stamina and pain she suffered from an old shoulder injury is completely gone.
Murray hasn't experienced any signs of dementia, but is happy to know she's already on the right track to keep her brain stimulated and healthy. "It's just an added incentive to keep coming," she said.
Palladini would like to see more seniors take a more aggressive approach to their health.
"I think seniors sometimes give up on themselves," said Palladini.
"Maybe they feel there is no hope or that (weight training) doesn't have relevance in their life. But exercise stimulates the body and mind, no matter what age you are."
KBryce@nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4245
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