ON THE MOVE Participants:
We have added two new pages on our 25,000 ON THE MOVE website. Please feel free to visit our Gratitude or Leader Board web pages.
With only 14 days left before the 25,000 ON THE MOVE challenge begins, we really need everyone's help to recruit as many participants as possible. Please encourage your family and friends to visit www.LTwell.com/onthemove and click on the Register Now button.
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| Exercise Helps Adults Increase Memory and Brain Function |
Over the years, much research has shown that the functioning of the region of the brain responsible for memory, the hippocampus, is largely dependent on its size; people who have a larger hippocampus usually have better memory. Now, a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois and the University of Pittsburgh shows that physically active elderly adults have a significantly larger hippocampus size along with improved spatial memory and reasoning.
Researchers measured the cardiorespiratory fitness of 165 adults between 59 and 81 years of age. Using MRIs, the researchers conducted an analysis of the function and size of their left and right hippocampus. They also conducted tests on the participants' spatial reasoning.
Researchers found a significant association between an individual's fitness and his or her performance on spatial memory tasks. There was also a strong correlation between fitness and hippocampus size. The study concludes that hippocampus size in physically fit adults accounts for about 40 percent of their advantage in spatial memory.
International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), 2009 |
| Weekly Motivational Tips |
- Multitask! Volunteer to drive your kids to the mall, and then walk laps inside while you wait for the shoppers. Try the same trick at your child's school during lessons, practices or rehearsals.
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