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A little space for yourself

Is your exercise brain-friendly?

A typical week. A little perspective. One realistic next step.

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A blue walking shoe, dumbbell and ball

What does a typical week look like?

For adults aged 18 and over. Enter weekly totals, counting each minute once. Put cardio done at the gym under running/cycling. Strength minutes count separately.

Walking

Running / cycling / other cardio

Gym / strength

Sports / dance

Light: easy conversation. Moderate: you can talk, but not sing. Vigorous: only a few words before a breath.

If you have a health condition, talk to a professional about a routine that fits you.

Checking your week sends your activity totals and strength days to this site for scoring. As with the free tests, scored runs can include IP address, country, browser/device and source context. How this site handles your data

Different ways to move

Aerobic exercise: trials in older adults have reported some memory and brain-structure changes. Findings vary, and a clear thinking benefit for every person is uncertain.

Erickson et al. (2011)

Strength training: some trials in older adults report small improvements in selected thinking skills. Other measures show little change; this does not guarantee a noticeable benefit.

Liu-Ambrose et al. (2010)

Coordination: a small older-adult trial studied balance and complex movement and found changes in selected cognitive tasks. It is promising but limited evidence, not a ranking of sports.

Voelcker-Rehage et al. (2011)

Much of this evidence comes from older adults. Effects on particular tests do not mean that exercise makes you smarter. Choose movement for general health and enjoyment; any thinking benefit is a possible bonus.

Read: Does lifting weights help your brain?

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