Regular exercise by elderly slows mental decline

Older people who exercise regularly experience a slower rate of mental decline according a new study that was published on neurology.org.

876 people with the average age 71 years old participated in the study, and it was found that 90 percent of them exercised little or not at all. Ten percent exercised frequently.

Seven years later, MRI’s and memory tests found that the 10 percent who exercised had better memory and better processing speed.

47 ABC stopped in at the Salisbury YMCA and spoke with a group trainer, Estrella Knutson, who regularly works with the elderly. Knutson said the results of the study don’t surprise her at all.

“I have heard, yeah it’s going to give you energy, but it really does and you feel more alert, you feel more awake, invigorated, after you get that movement in,” Knutson said.

Knutson also said that doing resistance training can help bone density for the elderly.