(STUDY FINDS) — IOWA CITY, Iowa — Exercise is important at any age, but it’s an especially good idea for older adults to make getting off the couch — at least once in a while — a priority. Keeping our bodies in motion as we age promotes a number of physical benefits, and now a new study conducted at the University of Iowa finds exercise can also boost mental performance in some older adults — after just one trip to the gym.
Just a single session of exercise improved cognitive performance and working memory in older study participants, and researchers noted that most older adults enjoyed the same level of mental improvement from just one exercise bout as they did from regular and frequent exercise.
“One implication of this study is you could think of the benefits day by day,” explains corresponding author Professor Michelle Voss in a media release. “In terms of behavioral change and cognitive benefits from physical activity, you can say, ‘I’m just going to be active today. I’ll get a benefit.’ So, you don’t need to think of it like you’re going to train for a marathon to get some sort of optimal peak of performance. You just could work at it day by day to gain those benefits.”
