By Lauren Bennett, Ph.D.
Like a flower growing in a garden, the human brain benefits from the great outdoors. Nature walks. A jog around the neighborhood. Tai Chi at the park. Studies have found that the aging brain shrinks less when a person spends time outdoors. The same protection against brain shrinkage occurs when a person exercises.
Combine the two – time outdoors and time spent exercising – and you have a powerful prescription that may help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
Whether you’re walking, gardening, or birding, being active can play a role in maintaining cognitive health and improving mood. In fact, a study out of England found that walking just under 10,000 steps a day reduces a person’s risk of developing dementia by 50 percent.
If brain health is grounded in whole body health, what can you do to benefit your body and your mind? Get outside and …
Walk. Simply walking 30 minutes a day helps maintain your cardiovascular health and, subsequently, your brain health.
Dance or Practice Yoga or Tai Chi. It seems dance may improve or slow the worsening in the quality of life of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, yoga reduces brain shrinkage and tai chi helps delay cognitive impairment in people with dementia.
Paint, Sing or Play an Instrument. Studies into the arts suggest that singing, painting and other artistic activities can improve cognition in people with mild dementia.
See your doctor. OK. This is an indoor activity, but it’s an important one. Hoag’s Orange County Vital Brain Program offers primary care physicians tools and education to provide patients with baseline assessments and screenings. We work with your doctor to help you identify early signs of cognitive decline – and direct you to the help you might need.
Early intervention can significantly impact the course of dementia and improve quality of life for both patients and their families. To learn more about the diagnosis, treatment and support services offered by Hoag’s Memory & Cognitive Disorders Program, visit hoag.org/memory.
