Being lazy might shrink your brain

We know that exercise is one of the biggest keys to good health. It betters almost everything, from the level of oxygen your body can supply, to your ability to focus, it can keep you looking good, and mentally sharp. It’s becoming less surprising each time some new research comes out pointing to yet another benefit.

Today, however, it’s easier than ever to pass on physical exercise in favor of some other attention sapping activity. There’s so many good shows and movies we can watch, video games we can play, work to do on the computer, or just general reading we can do on our kindle. There are far too many excuses to sit down, and that, researchers are alarmingly saying, can shrink our brains:

A new study, published in Neurology, adds further evidence of yet another health benefit of fitness – maintaining brain size in older age.

The research, carried out by Nicole Spartano, used data from the Framingham Heart Study. In total, 1,583 participants, with an average age of 40 and without dementia or heart disease, took a treadmill test to rate their fitness.

Twenty years down the line, the same individuals were once again examined for fitness, and MRI?scans were taken. Fitness was assessed by measuring the length of time it took their heart rate to increase to a certain level.

There will be a point, hopefully in the near future, where everyone?is so aware of the benefits of exercise–and clearly, the adverse effects of a lack of it–that we’ll all become a more active society. For now, spread the news, and check out the full post for more details.