A common theme in government health guidelines is that exercise is for good you — and how you're probably not getting enough.
According to Britain's National Health Service, exercising can cut your risk of major illnesses like heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, and cancer by up to 50%.
And new research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that moderate exercise a few times a week could also keep your mind sharp if you're over 50.
Researchers at the University of Canberra analyzed 39 studies published to the end of 2016 to look at the effect of exercise on overall brain capacity, attention, alertness, and memory.
They found that a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise had the most benefits. The researchers highlighted tai chi, which is actively promoted by the NHS for its ability to "reduce stress; improve posture, balance, and general mobility; and increase muscle strength."
"Aerobic exercise was associated with enhanced cognitive abilities, while resistance training was significantly associated with improvements in executive function, memory, and working memory," Joe Northey, the lead author of the study, said in a statement. "Tai chi also improved cognitive abilities, but this is based on a just a few studies, so that will have to be confirmed in a larger clinical trial."
The Chinese martial art is low-impact, so it's a good option for people who might not have the mobility they once did, Northey said.
He said the evidence was strong enough that aerobic and resistance exercise should be recommended to people over 50 to improve brain health. The study found that moderate and vigorous exercise sessions of 45 minutes to an hour was good for brain health, so a mixture of intense and low-impact training would be ideal.
The NHS already recommends adults between 19 and 64 do at least 150 minutes of physical activity every week.