Movement & your brain

The hippocampus is a small, curved part of the brain that helps you form new memories. It usually shrinks a little each year in later life.

In a well-known trial, 120 adults ages 55 to 80 either walked at a moderate pace or did stretching and toning for a year. The walking group’s hippocampus grew by about 2%. The stretching group’s shrank a little, as is usual with age.

The walkers went three days a week. They started with 10 minutes and added 5 minutes each week until they reached 40 minutes.

BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) is a protein that helps brain cells grow and connect. It plays a part in learning and memory.

In the walking trial, bigger growth in the hippocampus went along with higher BDNF levels in the blood. NIA also describes research where a protein that boosts brain health was higher in both mice and people who were more active.

Your brain runs mainly on glucose, a kind of sugar. In one study of healthy late-middle-aged adults, more time in moderate activity was linked to the brain turning glucose into fuel more efficiently. Researchers think this may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s.

Exercise can boost memory and thinking indirectly by improving mood and sleep and by lowering stress and anxiety. Problems in these areas often make thinking harder.

For more on movement and mood, see the Sports & exercise for your mind guide. If your thinking feels slow or cloudy, see Brain fog: causes and what helps.

Executive function is the brain’s manager. It helps you plan, get organised, start tasks, stay on track and handle your emotions.

Single bouts of activity bring short-term improvements in these skills. Activity also helps memory, attention, processing speed and school performance.

Ideas to try

• A brisk walk before a hard task or a big conversation
• Dancing to two songs before homework
• Stairs instead of the lift before a meeting
• Walking while you think through a problem

Regular activity lowers anxiety over time, and it also eases the short-lived anxious feelings many people have now and then.

The CDC lists reduced short-term feelings of anxiety in adults as one of the benefits that can come right after a session.

Strong evidence shows that moderate-to-vigorous activity improves sleep. It shortens the time it takes to fall asleep, cuts time awake in the night, and can add deep sleep.

Good sleep matters for memory and focus the next day. See Sleep & mental health and Why we sleep & dream for more.

The CDC lists improved thinking in children ages 6 to 13 as one of the benefits that can come soon after a session of activity.

See “Kids, teens and the learning brain” in this guide for more.

Dementia, depression, heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes are all less common in people who are or become more active. Several of these also raise dementia risk on their own.

Physical inactivity is one of 14 risk factors for dementia that people can work on, according to the 2024 Lancet Commission. The Protect your brain for life guide covers all 14.

A study of 78,430 UK adults ages 40 to 79 wore step counters and was followed for about 7 years. Around 9,800 steps a day was linked to about half the risk of dementia. Even about 3,800 steps a day was linked to a 25% lower risk.

Brisker, purposeful steps showed stronger links than slow, incidental steps.

Regular moderate exercise over six months to a year is linked to bigger volume in some brain regions. Harvard experts note it takes about six months to start seeing the thinking benefits.

The feel-good effects on mood, calm and sleep often come much sooner, which can help you stick with it.

Aerobic activity is the kind most linked to brain benefits. A goal of 150 minutes a week of moderate activity, like brisk walking, is a good target for adults.

Brisk walking is a classic moderate activity. Jogging or running is vigorous. Both count.

Adults are advised to do muscle-strengthening activity at least 2 days a week. From 65, balance activities help too.

Falls can cause brain injuries. Activity improves physical function in older adults and lowers the risk of falls and fall-related injuries.

A 2023 study of older adults with mild memory problems found that tai chi combined with thinking or speaking tasks improved working memory and attention. The benefits lasted at least 6 months.

In older adults living at home, tai chi may reduce the rate of falls by about 19%, though the evidence is still limited.

NIA notes that activities that are mentally stimulating or involve physical activity may help memory, and that the more variety, the better. Learning new moves does both at once.

Ideas

• A beginner dance class
• A martial art like karate or judo
• A new route on a walk, with a map
• Pickleball, table tennis or badminton
• Learning a new sport with a friend

For more on learning and the brain, see Lifelong learning & brain health.

NIA suggests ideas like walking or cycling with a friend or neighbour, a bowling or bocce club, or an exercise class. Social activity has its own brain benefits.

See Loneliness, connection & your brain for why people matter so much for the brain.

Young children should be active throughout the day for growth and development. Jumping, climbing and riding a tricycle all count.

Health experts concluded in 2018 that regular activity brings health benefits even for children as young as 3 to 5.

The CDC goal

• 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous activity each day
• Vigorous activity on at least 3 days a week
• Muscle-strengthening, like climbing or push-ups, on at least 3 days a week
• Bone-strengthening, like jumping or running, on at least 3 days a week

Worldwide, 81% of adolescents don’t reach recommended levels, and girls are less active than boys. Encouraging every young person, whatever their body or skill, matters.

The U.S. Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends short classroom activity breaks for primary school students. Ten studies found better student attention during lessons, though results on attention tests were mixed.

Typical breaks last 4 to 10 minutes, one to three times a school day.

At home too

• A dance break between homework subjects
• Jumping jacks before reading time
• Walk or cycle to school where it’s safe
• A family walk after dinner

Let children try different activities and find what they love. Praise effort and fun, not winning or body size.

If a young person seems driven to exercise in a way that worries you, see When exercise becomes compulsive.

NIA advises checking with your health care provider if you’re not currently active but want to start a vigorous exercise program.

If you live with a health condition, pain or disability, a provider or physical therapist can help you find safe ways to move.

Movement doesn’t have to mean running or a gym. Seated exercise, swimming, gentle stretching, gardening and housework all add up.

For adaptive sports and starting from zero at any age or ability, see Sports & exercise for your mind.

On low days, a 5-minute walk or a few stretches is a real win. Regular activity reduces depressive symptoms, even when they are mild.

If low mood has lasted more than two weeks, please talk with your clinical provider or a therapist.

• Community gardens and park clean-ups
• Community or senior centre exercise classes
• Dance nights or beginner dance classes
• Local walking, running or cycling groups
• Sports clubs for all ages, like bowling or bocce
• Swimming classes at a local pool

• Ask your school about classroom movement breaks
• Start a lunchtime walking group at work
• Suggest walking meetings
• Organise a family-friendly walk after services or events

Invite a friend, neighbour or older relative to walk with you. Go at their pace, keep it friendly, and make it regular.

Teaching a game or dance you remember from childhood to a child or grandchild is a fun way to move together.

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