It helps in lowering your blood pressure and improving your blood sugar levels. You will soon notice a decrease around your waist, an overall improvement in fitness activities, and an improvement in your mood, including an anxiety reduction.
These benefits are significant for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease who have chronic conditions and changes in mood. Regular exercise can aid in slowing the progressive cognitive decline of individuals with this disease.
Exercise will improve memory by increasing the individual’s molecular target, like the brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This molecular factor increases synaptogenesis, forming new synapses that mediate learning and memory, making it easier to absorb information and form long-term memories.
So my question to you, Chad, is what kind of exercises should individuals with Alzheimer’s disease be doing? That’s an excellent question. I get asked questions from caretakers of Alzheimer’s or dementia patients on what exercise is safe and what is the best type of activity.
Everyone’s differences should be reviewed case by case, as you must exercise safely and maintain stability. Under supervision, gardening, one of my favorite activities, can be an excellent exercise, and many people enjoy it.
It provides a good amount of physical activity. I highly recommend walking outside or on a specialized treadmill or stationary bike; swimming, light weights, and chair yoga are incredibly beneficial.
Have you heard of a fit exercise plan, and do you think this will help individuals with Alzheimer’s disease? US guidelines have created a program to cover all components of the FIT model and as a guide for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.
And yes, FIT describes the frequency, intensity, time, and type of exercise. So, let’s look at each of these components. Frequency. According to these standards, you perform aerobic activity most days of the week and muscle-strengthening exercise at least two days each week.
Older adults need to build up to these goals gradually and pace themselves. Activity may start one or two days during the first week, and individuals should gradually build up to most days over several weeks.
Intensity. These guidelines indicate that you should conduct your exercises at a moderate to vigorous intensity. These activities require a similar effort to brisk walking or swimming, which is medium intensity.
Okay, the T is time. These guidelines also prescribe 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week. Schedule muscle-strengthening exercises twice a week or as directed by your doctor. And the last T is type.
These guidelines recommend that individuals participate in aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities. It also has specific recommendations for older adults, which is especially relevant for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease because most will fall into this category.
Older adults should do multiple physical activities to maintain weekly physical activity, including balance training and aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises. Many exercise studies involving individuals with Alzheimer’s or dementia have been multi-component, including aerobic strength, balance, and flexibility activities in one program.
So make sure to take your time choosing the suitable types of activities. It’s essential to select activities that are enjoyable and sustainable for your lifestyle and do your best to stick with them over a long period.
Now, this process may take some time. That’s okay, but individualizing exercise routines will lead to long-term success for you. So, maintaining a regular exercise program is important because the benefits of any exercise program go away when you stop exercising.
So try some activities like aerobic activities, walking. Water aerobics, dancing, light yard work, cycling, yoga, or muscle-strengthening activities like exercise bands, handheld weights, or machine weights, and body weight exercises, such as push-ups, sit-ups, calisthenics, chin-ups, or balance.
Try standing on one foot and then the other, walking heel to toe until you fall off your path, or toe raises, which can be done by sitting or on the floor exercises. Warming up before exercising and cooling down afterward is very important for those ready to start.
Warming up helps to prepare the heart and lungs for this activity, and cooling down helps gradually slow the heart and lungs. Stretching can also be incorporated into your warmup, calm down, and help maintain your joints’ flexibility.
Exercising several times weekly for 30 to 60 minutes will keep your cognitive reasoning and learning skills sharp for healthy individuals. Studies show that combining regular exercise can significantly reduce the risk of developing dementia by about 30 percent, and there is an improvement in memory, judgment, and thinking skills, which will benefit those with mild Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment.
For Alzheimer’s disease, patients see a 45 percent decrease in risk. To slow down Alzheimer’s or other dementias, eat healthy, do not smoke or drink, stay mentally and socially active, and take control of your health with fitness and diet.
Chad, what are some of the best foods for individuals with Alzheimer’s or dementia? It’s an excellent question. It’s essential to avoid foods like red meat, butter, and margarine. Avoid pastries, sweets, sugar, anything with high sugars, cheeses, and fried foods.
Follow the food regimen below and fit it into your meal planning. And please focus on foods that include leafy green vegetables, at least six servings per week. Enjoy all other vegetables, including berries, at least one serving daily.
I love berries; at least two servings a week. Some like to put these into a shake. Whole grains, like oatmeal, are my personal favorite. Whole wheat flour, brown rice, at least three servings a day. Fish, one to three servings a week.
Chicken or poultry, two servings a week. Beans, three to five servings a week. Nuts, five to seven servings a week. Thank you, Chad, for being here. All the staff from PeakBody and OurDoctor wish you the best on your journey to bettering your mental health.
You deserve to feel great and look great. Good luck, and like and follow us if you want to see other videos. Visit PeakBody.com to learn more!