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Exercise and People with Alzheimer’s
The Best Exercises for People with Alzheimer’s Disease
It has been established that regular exercise improves health. It helps to lower blood pressure, improve blood sugar levels, decrease waist circumference, improve fitness, maintain weight, improve mood and decrease anxiety. These benefits are especially important for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease who often have comorbid chronic diseases and changes to mood.
In addition, regular exercise can aid in slowing the progressive cognitive decline of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. So, what kinds of exercise should individuals with Alzheimer’s disease be doing? The FITT model provides an easy way to think about appropriate exercises for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. FITT guidleines are used to describe the frequency, intensity, time and type of exercise:
- Frequency: Aerobic activity should be conducted on most days of the week and muscle-strengthening activity should be conducted at least two days per week.
- Intensity: Exercise should be conducted at a moderate to vigorous intensity level.
- Time: Aerobic activity should be conducted for a minimum of 150 minutes per week.
- Type: Individuals should participate in both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities.
When selecting the types of activities, it is important to choose those that are enjoyable and sustainable, meaning that the individual can stick with over a long period of time.
For more information on exercise for people with Alzheimer’s read here: https://www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers-disease/article/best-exercise-people-alzheimers-disease
In partnership with the YMCA, Hally Health focuses on a variety of topics aimed at people of any age or fitness level who want to stay healthy and active. To view all of our YMCA partnership fitness videos throughout the month, please visit hally.com or Facebook.com/HallyHealth.