The evidence is overwhelming that aerobic exercise lowers risk of dementia. (e.g., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Sept. 2011).
Aerobic exercise is defined by the Mayo Clinic researchers as activity that elevates heart rate, which of course, means that there is an increased need for oxygen.
The American College of Sports Medicine defines aerobic exercise as "any activity that uses large muscle groups, can be maintained continuously, and is rhythmic in nature." The American Council on Exercise recommends 30-minute sessions 3-5 days a week, which can be broken down to three, 10-minute sessions per day.
Health organizations as well as government guidelines tend to be quite conservative with recommendations, as an attempt to get as many people as possible interested in premeditated, structured exercise.
The reality is, people should exercise every day of the week, like our ancient ancestors did! Ancient man didn’t sit around much like he does today; the human body was designed for dynamic movement – and lots of it.
The Mayo Clinic study included raking leaves and shoveling snow as sufficient aerobic exercise to lower dementia risk. However . . .
Household chores (including outdoor) occur on an intermittent basis. If a person puts too much stock in household tasks as effective aerobic exercise for lowering dementia risk, she or he may end up avoiding much more effective forms of aerobic exercise such as sustained brisk walking; cardio equipment; jogging; fitness classes and snow shoeing.
How unkempt does your house get that you can fulfill the weekly time requirements for aerobic exercise to lower dementia risk?
Okay, maybe you live in a huge house that quickly gets untidy due to many occupants. But housework and yard work still should not count as aerobic exercise to lower dementia risk because:
1) often, the exertion is minimal, 2) it is not bilateral, meaning, body movement is not the same on both sides. Your dominant side takes over, and this will create imbalances and can even strain muscles; spinal alignment is often non-neutral, and 3) often, yard and housework are stressful -- hurrying to clean up for guests; anger towards sloppy kids or a messy spouse.
"We concluded that you can make a very compelling argument for exercise as a disease-modifying strategy to prevent dementia and mild cognitive impairment, and for favorably modifying these processes once they have developed," says J. Eric Ahlskog, M.D., neurologist at Mayo Clinic.
If I had to choose the best aerobic exercise to lower dementia risk, it would be one in which thinking or figuring is required. This might make it sound like housework would be ideal (“Which cleaner should I use? Will this bag contain all that garbage?”).
However, the thinking should be more on an executive level, such as the calculating that goes on while rock-wall climbing! I’ve done lots of rock-wall climbing, and yes, there is an aerobic component, albeit mild.
Hiking and trail running require some thinking in that the brain processes ever-changing scenery and must negotiate changes in terrain that influence pace and balance.
Any aerobic-based sport will qualify as great for lowering dementia risk since game play involves strategy and planning.
This isn’t to say that NOT thinking during aerobic exercise won’t lower dementia risk. Nothing of the sort is true! It’s just that intuitively, it stands to reason that the more you use your mind during structured exercise, the more brain cells get used; the more neural connections that are formed.
If you’re happy “mindlessly” jogging down a long stretch of concrete road, then go for it!
In terms of lowering dementia risk, think in terms of the following aerobic exercises: brisk walking, hiking, jogging, interval training (mixing fast bursts with casual paces), group fitness classes, martial arts and self-defense classes (lots of thinking there), volleyball, basketball, tennis, lap swimming, inline skating, dancing, jumping rope, plyometrics (jumping drills), and climbing. (Source: sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907163919.htm)
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