There are already many scientific studies that have shown that physical exercise is an important enhancer of cognitive performance and that, well practiced, it has the quality of protecting our brains from aging.
One of the keys to practicing sports to facilitate the appearance of its potential benefits is regularity. And we all know how hard and difficult it is to maintain the habit of sports despite lack of time, work, children, inclement weather and a thousand other excuses we find for not going to the gym, running or not taking the bike.
Well, a nice study by researchers from the University of British Columbia (2014) has found something that can explain why some people stop practicing physical exercise from one time to another, returning to their sedentary lifestyles.
125 women between the ages of 65 and 75 participated in their experiment. All participated in a physical training program for 12 months, and executive functions were assessed with the Stroop test (an inhibition test frequently used in research) at the beginning and at the end of the physical training program.
During the following year, they were asked on a monthly basis how much and what type of physical exercise they did.
The results of the study showed that over time, there was a decrease in the practice of physical exercise in women. However, those women who improved their scores on the executive functions test (Stroop) more during the physical exercise program maintained the sport habit for longer than those who improved less cognitively.
The authors conclude that the improvement of executive functions in older women would play an important role in establishing physical exercise as a habit in their life.
And it is that according to the theorists, to maintain a healthy habit it is necessary to have good executive functions. So there is a feedback relationship here: practicing physical exercise is necessary for good cognitive performance and good cognitive functioning is necessary to maintain this sport practice as a healthy habit over time. Do not stop training your mind and your body, and completely will thank you.
Marisa Fernández, Senior Neuropsychologist, Unobrain
