09/08/2026
Of all the lifestyle interventions associated with preventing dementia, exercise has the most scientific evidence, showing improvement of brain health and function and reducing your risk by as much as 30-45%. Exercise increases, repairs and maintains brain cells. It improves blood flow to the brain, bringing oxygen and nutrients to the cells. It helps to reduce stress and improve sleep, also vital to keeping our brains healthy.
So, what type of exercise is best? There are three types of exercise that improve brain health:
1. Aerobic exercise is exercise that increases your heart rate and intake of oxygen to improve cardiovascular conditioning. Examples include walking, cycling, swimming and running.
2. Strength training is exercise that improves strength, muscle mass and endurance. Weightlifting fits into this category, but resistance bands are an easy, inexpensive alternative. For a quick beginner’s tutorial, check out: https://www.silversneakers.com/blog/pick-right-resistance-band/.
3. Mind-body exercise is exercise that combines body movement with mental focus and controlled breathing to improve strength, balance, coordination and flexibility. Examples include yoga, tai chi, and Pilates. An interesting intervention that is being studied in prevention and improving function in dementia patients is “exergaming” (like Nintendo Wii Fit), which combines physical activity with cognitive stimulation.
A combination of the above exercises, building up to 150 minutes per week, seems to be optimal for slowing cognitive decline.
