Baby Boomer Women - Stay Active to “Stay Smart” and Multitask
My best friend just got back from China. She walked the Great Wall, up many steps, and she was able to keep up when other younger people weren’t. She has a regular vigorous walking routine, she lifts weights, swims with a Master’s group, and does yoga. She is in great shape! And new information shows that being in shape physically can help keep you mentally fit too.
A recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health (and published in September in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society) shows that older women who are active do better on cognitive (knowledge) tests and multitasking than women who are not as active. I guess it’s not a big surprise, but it does show the importance of staying active as baby boomers, so you can live longer and stay healthier.
The study was done on women older than baby boomers (their average age was 83); they wore something called an actigraph, which measured their physical movements over 3 days. Then they were given standard cognitive tests and compared the results with the activity levels.
“More daytime movement was especially associated with better executive function, which is the ability to plan and execute daily tasks,” stated lead author Deborah E. Barnes, PhD, MPH, a mental health researcher at SFVAMC and an assistant professor of psychiatry at UCSF. “The particular measure we used focused on being able to shift your attention back and forth – kind of like multitasking in daily life.”
The next phase of the study is going to focus on older people with memory problems; the researchers are getting them more active and they are hoping to see more improvement in memory from the increased physical activity. I’m betting they find it.
So, I’m going to quit blogging for today and go take a walk. The sun is shining, and here in Iowa there may not be many more opportunities to walk outside until spring.
I’m planning to wear out rather than rust out.
How about you?
Image source: Jean Murray
Tags: baby boomer women, Great Wall of China, health and fitnessRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Baby Boomers as Olympic athletes, Boomer Health, Boomer Travel, Health, Mindset, baby boomer women
1 opinion for Baby Boomer Women - Stay Active to “Stay Smart” and Multitask
Saturday Sayings for Baby Boomers - Staying Fit means Staying Smart
Nov 1, 2008 at 9:44 am
[...] post the other day about keeping physically fit to stay mentally fit really hit home. Since I am “retiring” to stay at home to write, [...]
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