group exercise may increase the benefits

Socializing regularly and getting plenty of exercise are two key factors in aging well. So, it’s not too surprising that combining the activities can increase the value.

“Exercise is manageable for many older people, and we saw cognitive benefits from it compared with those who don’t exercise,” said Tomohiro Okura, PhD, who led a new study. “But it’s even more noteworthy that we found exercise’s benefits rise—14.1 percentage points in our study—when performed with others and at least twice a week.”

The four-year study included more than 4,000 older, urban adults.

SELECTED SOURCES “Impact of exercising alone and exercising with others on the risk of cognitive impairment among older Japanese adults” by K. Nagata et al., Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 12/16/22 • “Solo exercise is good for older brains, but exercise with others is even better,” University of Tsukuba, 1/23/23