The AlzFighter Process: Category 5: Physical Fitness

AlzFighter Process overview, Cardiovascular health, Neuromotor exercises, Physical fitness, Stress Management

Category 5 of the AlzFighter process is the most crucial overall in terms of overall health and correlation with the development of cognitive decline with age.

Cardiovascular /Physical strength, flexibility, and wellness:

o Cardiovascular workouts have many known benefits, including physical and mental health, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, strengthening the bones and muscles, and reducing stress.

o It also appears that regular physical activity benefits the brain. ("Cardiovascular health status at age 50 linked to dementia risk in later life," n.d.); ("Alzheimer's disease: Can exercise prevent memory loss?" 2021)

o Even oral health maintenance has been shown to have connections to the development of Alzheimer’s (Jungbauer et al., n.d.) ;(Furlano & Nagamatsu, 2020, p. 16)

The How / Why behind the connection: There is a significant amount of supporting data connecting physical decline to cognitive decline. However, the biological basis of the correlation between the two disorders remains somewhat patchy. Fortunately, for our purposes, these intricacies of the correlation are not as important as recognizing that there is a connection between the two, and thus maintaining physical health is a focus area we cover.

So which types of exercise are the MOST effective for what Alzfighters are trying to accomplish? Also, which types should be avoided

· Low to moderate impact – meaning non-high intensity interval training. Excessive or very rigorous exercise could increase cortisol levels.

· Those that involve a neuro component, i.e., aids in maintaining balance, motor control, and proprioception (awareness of the position and movement of the body).

· Those that enhance strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance.

· Those which support specifically the strength of the core muscles, which is crucial for maintaining balance and protection of the back.

· Specific examples include brisk walking, yoga, strength training, rowing, bicycling, Pilates, and dancing.

How much is needed? IMPORTANT – ALWAYS consult with your primary care provider before starting ANY diet or exercise regimen.

Recommendations will vary depending on the source and person’s condition etc. However, the consensus is a minimum of 150 minutes per week. For example, a daily 22-minute brisk walk would meet this.

- Consistency is key.

- Adopt the mantra, I will break a sweat every day. 30 minutes a day, so healthy I can stay

- Exercise has the added benefit of supporting stress reduction, improving the quality of sleep, and even helping to improve mental health.

- If possible, always have a core strengthening component to the exercise.

- Avoid boredom by changing up your exercise patterns and methods.

More frequent brief sessions can be even more effective than long high-intensity workouts. Avoiding increased stress hormone production is important.

Putting it into action:

Examples of action items that are great options for maintaining physical health. These are all designed to get in the minimum time. You can always go longer. The most important key to success here is consistency:

1. I will start my day every day with 5 minutes of yoga sun salutations and 2 minutes of sit-ups/ crunches for core strength, followed by a brisk 15-minute walk. ( This example factors in multiple types of exercise in one: 1. Neuromotor, 2. weight/bearing strength, and 3. Cardiovascular (especially if the brisk walk is extended to 20 minutes. Doing this method daily also substantially increases the likelihood of the exercise becoming a habit versus a temporary program change.

2. I will do 30 minutes of exercise( warm-up and strength training) 5 days per week as part of my morning routine. This example allows for 2 days per week of total rest

3. I will do strength training for 20 minutes, followed by light yoga stretches and balance poses for 10 minutes. For Monday and Wednesday, my focus will be on my upper body; Tuesday and Thursday will be lower body focused. Friday will be just cardio-focused but low-intensity to avoid cortisol spikes, i.e., a brisk 20-minute walk. Weekends will be my more relaxed days, i.e., going out for a hike or a leisurely bike ride.

Cognitive Decline Prevention; Alzheimer's Disease Prevention; Total Health and Wellness approach