Science says: exercising is good for your memory

For those who are not big fans of exercising and rarely notice those feel-good hormones: I completely understand you. I have accepted and embraced that I do not become happy from sports. Still, I try to do it regularly because I know that I unconsciously really benefit from it. Reluctantly, I therefore push myself through my little workouts every week.

Although staying fit and feeling good is already enough reason for many to get moving, I may have found an even better reason that might also persuade non-sports lovers. By exercising regularly, you can keep your memory sharp, and that is definitely worth it, right? This is shown by a study published in Communications Medicine. 

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh have collected and studied 36 different studies on physical activity for this purpose. The focus was on healthy aging and memory retention. What did the scientists discover? That regular physical activity helps support episodic memory. Episodic memory is about specific memories where time and location play an important role, such as your first time riding a bike without training wheels or that one moment when you finally graduated.

Episodic memory is one of the first memory systems that declines as we age. The study shows that we need to exercise about three times a week for at least four months to improve episodic memory. Well, brace yourself, I would say.

Fortunately, there is good news: it turns out that exercise with lower intensity works best for this. Think of walking, jogging, cycling, or swimming. In other words: no intense HIIT workout is required to keep that memory sharp. I am, of course, very excited about that.