Move It!

Take a hike. Climb some flights of stairs. Lace up your sneakers and head out for a walk, run, or bike ride. Learn how to dance. Pump some iron. Complete a circuit workout at the gym.

Everyone knows that physical exercise is good for the body, and now we know it’s just as good for the brain. A number of studies over the past 10 years have demonstrated how important exercise—especially the aerobic kind—is in regard to both cognitive function and memory.

Brain shrinkage, especially shrinkage of the hippocampus, is associated with memory loss, decreased cognitive functioning, Alzheimer Disease, and dementia. As one witty reporter on the subject said, “at least as it relates to the hippocampus, size does matter.”

But brain shrinkage is not an inevitable function of aging. Regular aerobic exercise has been shown to increase the size of the hippocampus by generating new nerve cells (a process called neurogenesis). The more exercise you engage in as a young or midlife adult, the less brain shrinkage you will have to make up for when you are older. But aerobic exercise can trigger neurogenesis at any age or stage of life.

Aerobic exercise gets your heart to pump more oxygen to your brain and initiates your body’s release of hormones that contribute to the growth of brain cells. Not only can you grow new brain cells as a result of exercise, you can also create new connections between them, thereby increasing your brain’s plasticity.

Working memory, planning and scheduling (managing time and attention), multitasking, switching focus, and dealing with ambiguity are some of the functions of an area of the brain known as the executive center. For many people, executive center functions are adversely affected with age. The great news is that these are the very functions that benefit most from regular physical exercise.

Exercise provides short-term benefits, too—as in right now. Twenty minutes of aerobic exercise can immediately improve your cognitive functioning. To enhance the effects, do something that also requires coordination or strategy, such as dancing, playing a game, or ice skating.

It isn’t only aerobic exercise that provides these cognitive benefits. A recent study indicates that yoga may be even better at sharpening the mind. The sample for this study was small, but the results are intriguing. If they can be replicated in other studies, this would be great news for people who can’t–or don’t want to–engage in vigorous physical exercise.

Recent research published in the Journal of Comparative Neurology shows how inactivity also alters the brain, but not in a good way. This is your brain. This is your brain on the couch.

Physical exercise is “neuroprotective” for your brain no matter how old you are–and maybe even no matter what kind of exercise you do. It’s never too late—or too soon—to move it for your brain’s sake.