Exercise holds many benefits in terms of enhanced health and outlook. Exercising our bodies also has a beneficial effect on our brains. Researchers have known for a long time that people who exercise do better on memory tests and now they know why.

Evidence shows that exercise causes the growth of new neurons in the brain. Imaging the brain using MRI, researchers were able to see neurogenesis in the dentate gyrate following exercise. The dentate gyrate is a region in the hippocampus that has previously been linked to age-related memory loss.

Keeping active is the key to good health for our bodies and our minds. For more information read NEW REASON TO HIT THE GYM: FIGHTING MEMORY LOSS.

Movement involves a complex communication system that starts in the brain but, according to a study by University of Delaware researcher Christopher Knight, the message could be fainter when it reaches muscle fibers as we age.

Poor muscular control and reduced muscle attention to commands can lead to injuries and falls, as well as deficits in motor coordination. Firing rates of neurons slows and the ability of the muscles to “hear” the neurons’ commands diminishes. But although these changes come with age, there is something we can do.

Weight and resistance training has been shown to increase the firing rates of neurons, enhancing the muscular response.

“After power training with weights, we see an increase in firing rates,” Knight said. “For safety, we’re commonly advised to do things slowly when exercising, but it’s important to also do some fast exercises. You need a fast movement to prevent a fall. Even in the frail elderly, it is possible to use exercise bands for manual resistance to improve the speed of movement.”

When your brain talks, your muscles don’t always listen

Walking is great exercise at any age and it particularly sets older Americans in good stead in terms of health and emotional benefits. Getting out into the community by walking develops outside interests as well as building muscle mass, burning calories and enhancing cardiovascular health.

Ir you’re an avid walker and looking to retire to a community that affords great opportunities and destinations for walkers, then have a look at the list of the top 10 cities for walking according to the American Podiatric Medicine Association as updated in 2006.

Topping the list is Portland, Oregon. Number two is Colorado Springs, CO, followed by Madison, WI at number three and Boise, ID in the fourth slot. You might be surprised to find the fifth ranked city for best walking is Las Vegas, NV.

Check out the list at the APMA.

Top Ten Walking Cities for 2006

For hospitalized seniors, multi-disciplinary care that includes exercise allows them to leave the hospital sooner and in many cases, avoid having to be transferred to a rehabiliation facility.

Hospitalization can often lead to a loss of strength and mobility. Encouraging exercise as part of an acute hospital stay can prevent such losses.

Exercise only programs did not produce the same improvements in patients as a program that involved both standard care and exercise. Patients receiving multidisciplinary care went home one day earlier than those in standard care programs. In addition, six more patients out of 100 went directly home instead of to another health care facility such as a rehabilitation center.

The review appears in the most recent issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research.