How much exercise?

[Night Elf]

In my other thread about carbs and Alzheimer's someone said that exercise was most important. So that brings up another question. What is meant by exercise? This is another grey area for me. What do you mean by exercise? How much? How often? How long? How intense? Are we talking a good hour of make you sweat and heart beat wildly every day, or would a 30 minute walk that only elevates the heart rate a little and doesn't produce sweat for five days a week work? My mom, who is 74, gets the same advice from her doctor that I get from mine, that 150 minutes of walking per week is good enough exercise. How much exercise to do for heart and brain health?

[arnold]

Personally, I consider exercise as something that makes you breath hard and sweat a lot. I consider walking an activity. I exercise in the morning and then walk the dog for 45 minutes, but I don't consider walking the dog exercise as its not intense enough. I try to exercise at least 5 days a week for varied amounts of time; sometimes it's a 30 minute intense HIIT workout, other times it's an hour jog. I also lift heavy weights more frequently than I do "cardio" workouts. My weights are heavy enough to make my heart rate increase and frequently leave me breathing heavy, which adds a cardio component.

[Kim in Appalachia]

All of the studies I've seen or read suggest at least 150 minutes of moderate cardio exercise.  That means it has to be a brisk walk, one that increases your heart rate.  

 

Knowing what number to get your heart rate to can be tricky.  For me, at my age, a moderate easy jog would keep my heart rate at 130-135.  My normal run usually gets me to at least 140.

 

I've also seen a regular meditation practice recommended to help fight Alzheimer's and dementia, as well as a healthy diet.

 

Of course, none of those suggestions are magic bullets, they can help, but so little is truly understood about Alzheimer's and dementia.  They can see some links that seem to increase risk or bring the disease on faster (younger), but they can't find what can prevent it.  

 

One of the reasons behind the moderate exercise and diet advise is the prevention of very tiny mini strokes.  It is thought that an individual could have multiple tiny mini strokes that cause small amounts of damage to the brain that then lead to the onset of dementia.  

 

The problem is, while that is true, there could also be other reasons leading to dementia (other avenues leading to the damage).  But the exercise/diet combo can help prevent/slow that one way on getting dementia.   

[Pawz4me]

My minimum goal for cardio is a 30 minute walk every day.  That's walking the dog.  It does get my heart up and gets me sweating if the temperature is above 50 degrees or so.  I shoot for a pace of about 125 steps per minute, which many sources (such as this one) say is good enough for health benefits.  At my age I've decided it's much more important to do something consistently and to do something that I'll be willing/able to continue to do for a long time than it is to get all bogged down about doing the "right" thing.  I know myself and my body well enough to know that high intensity anything isn't something I'd do for the long term.

 

I also shoot for doing some weight training three times a week.  I follow a program that takes about 45 minutes or so, and I try to tack on a few minutes for stretching afterwards.

 

I also try to focus on just getting in as much movement as possible throughout the day.  Every little bit adds up, and since simply sitting is now known to be very detrimental to health -- any time I'm moving is time I'm not sitting.

 

ETA:  Here's an article about a study that said for average adults about 100 steps per minute is moderate intensity.

Edited March 13, 2016 by Pawz4me

[Laurie4b]

For Alzheimer's delay or treatment. These are copied from a Word document I keep going when I find research. I think these are all on exercise, or exercise+ some other habits. 

 

That exercise helps maintain cognitive health is one of the few things neurologists will agree on. Whether that means vigorous or moderate exercise is under debate. Generally aerobic is what they are talking, but there is some evidence that muscular strength is associated with cognitive health as well. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/behindtheheadlines/news/2015-11-18-stronger-legs-linked-to-stronger-brains-in-older-women/

 

https://www.alz.org/aaic/releases_2015/Thurs1130amET.asp  exercise more powerful than meds

 

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=10033579&fileId=S135561771500079X

Moderate exercise helped.

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=9099527&fileId=S1041610213001385

general review is that exercise helps slow the progression of Alzheimer’s 

 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/17/which-type-of-exercise-is-best-for-the-brain/?smid=fb-share&_r=0

 

 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/02/can-exercise-reduce-alzheimers-risk/?_r=0

 

 

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/aging/better-treatment-alzheimers-exercise-n397461

 

http://www.rd.com/health/conditions/dementia-alzheimers-survey/#ixzz3dQDttLpc

 

http://www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/how-exercise-can-help-prevent-alzheimers-disease

150 min of moderate exercise/week

[Carrie12345]

In my other thread about carbs and Alzheimer's someone said that exercise was most important. So that brings up another question. What is meant by exercise? This is another grey area for me. What do you mean by exercise? How much? How often? How long? How intense? Are we talking a good hour of make you sweat and heart beat wildly every day, or would a 30 minute walk that only elevates the heart rate a little and doesn't produce sweat for five days a week work? My mom, who is 74, gets the same advice from her doctor that I get from mine, that 150 minutes of walking per week is good enough exercise. How much exercise to do for heart and brain health?

 

There is no magic number.  There just isn't.

 

I can tell you that a "wild" heart beat isn't a wise goal for the overwhelming majority of human beings.  There are multiple formulas to determine "optimal" heart rates during exercise, but they all come up with different numbers and fairly wide ranges, and different people will hit them at somewhat different intensities.  They are dependent on people's individual health, fitness, lifestyles, abilities, and desires.

 

Few people would suggest a 74yo woman take up long distance running.

Few people would suggest an otherwise sedentary overeater will make giant cardiovascular improvements with a walk around the block now and then.

 

If there could be one recommendation that could suit every single living person, it would be Do Your Best.  Not do the minimum.  Not kill yourself for the maximum.  Do your personal, individual, reasonable best.