Deans' stroke musings: Staying Active Slows Cognitive Decline

Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain! trillions and trillions of neurons that DIE each day because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.

What this blog is for:

My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.

Friday, June 27, 2025

Staying Active Slows Cognitive Decline

Do you really think your doctor is competent enough to get you recovered enough to do this type of exercise? Ask for proof before you pay your doctor one thin dime. In my opinion, there is not a doctor in the world that can guarantee recovery enough to accomplish this! The key word there is GUARANTEE; nothing less!

I'm definitely active but nothing my doctor did got me there!

Staying Active Slows Cognitive Decline

Summary: Regular physical activity isn’t just good for the body—it protects the brain as we age. A 16-year study of over 13,000 adults found that sustained physical activity significantly slowed cognitive decline.

Even modest increases in weekly activity, from light chores to vigorous exercise, were associated with measurable brain benefits. The findings underscore the value of building long-term exercise habits to delay dementia and maintain quality of life.

Key Facts:

Lifelong Benefit: Consistent physical activity over many years slows cognitive decline in older adults.
Any Movement Helps: Even mild or moderate activities like vacuuming or gardening make a difference.
Delay Dementia: Regular activity could delay the onset of dementia by several years.
Source: University of Georgia

Physical activity is widely recognized as an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle, but a new study from the University of Georgia has found an additional benefit — staving off cognitive decline.

Researchers at the UGA College of Public Health analyzed data from more than 13,000 survey respondents and found that sustained physical activity can reduce the rate of cognitive decline for older adults. This data shows the importance of maintaining consistent physical activity throughout life, said lead author Suhang Song.

“We found that longer and more frequent engagement in physical activity, was associated with delayed cognitive decline,” said Song, an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management.

“These protective benefits grew over the length of the study.”

Even exercising just once a week makes a difference

The researchers relied on data from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative study that followed adults 50 years and over for 16 years.

Respondents reported how frequently they were physically active as well as their level of activity according to intensity. Vigorous activities included things like running and jogging. Gardening, dancing or stretching were classified as moderate activities while vacuuming, doing laundry and making home repairs were considered mild.

“If this slower decline continues, it could potentially delay the onset of dementia by many years.” Said Suhang Song, College of Public Health.

The study did not look at specific exercise time, but rather overall activity habits, and found that individuals who sustained regular physical activity throughout their lives experienced a significantly slower rate of cognitive decline.

For example, increasing vigorous physical activity from one to three times per month to once per week was linked to a measurable slowing of cognitive decline. Even increasing moderate physical activity from once per week to multiple times per week led to a slower rate of cognitive decline over time.

“The improvement of the decline rate may seem modest, but it builds up over time. If this slower decline continues, it could potentially delay the onset of dementia by many years, giving people more time to live independently and maintain quality of life,” Song said.

Regular activity should be encouraged in practice and policy

The findings build on existing research that links physical activity with cognitive health, but what sets this study apart is its focus on the duration and consistency of activity over time.

Promoting consistent physical activity may be a key component of any program aimed at reducing dementia risk in older adults, Song said.

Supporting building and maintaining long-term physical activity habits, through guidance from physicians and care providers, could help individuals adopt more sustainable routines by setting realistic, achievable goals, the researchers said.

Ultimately, Song’s message is simple: Move more and keep up activity.

“Our findings offer support in informing targeted interventions that support timely, consistent and long-term physical activity among older adults,” Song said. “From clinical practice and from the intervention side, continuous physical activity is an important proactive measure.”