Research shows that brain health is promoted by developing a habit of regular physical exercise.

We are grateful to Joke van Staveren and Jane Hobson, physiotherapists with the Canterbury District Health Board in Christchurch, for their contribution, and to Dementia Australia for their work in reviewing this area. Further information on exercise can be found in NZ guidelines here.

Exercise and cognitive decline
  • The definite consensus among clinical experts is that building a routine of regular physical exercise into out lives is good for brain health, and the earlier we do this, the better. 
  • Physical exercise may help maintain blood flow to the brain and may even stimulate brain cell growth and survival. It can also help reduce cardiovascular risk factors.
  • One review that combined the results of 11 studies concluded that people who exercise regularly may be 30% less likely to develop dementia.
  • That said, studies in this area are difficult to interpret in terms of a direct exercise to dementia link and how much exercise is required. We don't yet have controlled trials to show that increasing exercise decreases the risk of dementia.
  • Of course, it is absolutely clear that exercise protects our general health, protects our brain from the effects of strokes and heart attacks, protects us from hurting ourselves falling over (including the brain injuries that can occur from some falls), and is associated with improved mood, higher levels of fitness, and better quality of life.
Increasing exercise
  • It is best to aim to increase the amount of time we spend moving in a steady way, whether we think of this as exercise or not.  
  • If we spend most of the day sitting down, we can increase the amount of time we spend standing up.  
  • If we do most of our travelling in cars and lifts, we can increase the distances we walk and use the stairs more often.  
  • If we do some exercise every now and then, we can make it more regular.  
  • If we exercise regularly in one way, we can add another way, such as adding cycling, swimming or walking in a pool, or even joining a gym. 
Motivation to move
  • A good hint to help us make exercise more routine is to join in with other people – we can help each other stay motivated and we will get a brain workout as we chat alongside our body workout!  A fun fact is that mice who are prone to develop Alzheimer-like changes in their brains benefit much more from exercising along with mousy friends than they do exercising alone.
  • Linking people in with a Green Prescription to improve fitness via their GP can be helpful.  There is a Green Prescription Walking Guide available.
  • People with medical problems that prevent traditional forms of exercise should discuss this with their doctor and may want to think about increasing movement rather than trying to do a specific exercise.  
  • Fearfulness relating to an increased risk of falling can be a barrier to improving fitness.  A referral to a Falls Prevention Programme may be a good first step to building confidence and improving balance:  More information about falls prevention can be found here. 
People living with dementia and exercise
  • As with all of us exercise can benefit people living with dementia - from reducing mobility and health issues, to improving mood, to helping sleep.
  • Exercise habits that are embedded early in the dementia journey may be easier to maintain - another reason to don't delay, start today. 
  • Repetitive exercise routines that don't need decision making, like an exercise bike, can be useful. 
  • For people who are further down the dementia journey, specially-adapted structured sessions with support can be particularly useful.
  • For people living with dementia, quality of life can be improved by regular participation in exercise.  We were designed to move!