You most likely don’t like doing this.
So you don’t.
But you also know that it’s very good for your brain health.
So you feel guilty not doing it and think you should be.
A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association should put your mind at ease.
Because it says you only have to do a very little of this… so little you won’t even mind.
And then your brain will grow stronger and healthier.
You may have heard the official guidelines: 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.
The problem is that many older adults – especially those who are frail — find this target intimidating or impossible.
But what if only a few minutes a day could still help?
Researchers at the UK Biobank Project studied 89,667 adults aged 50 and older who wore wrist accelerometers to track their physical activity from 2013 to 2015.
Then, researchers followed their health for 4.4 years…
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• Just 5 minutes a day (35 minutes per week) reduced dementia risk by 41%.
• Doubling that to 35-70 minutes per week slashed risk by 60%.
• People exercising 70-140 minutes weekly lowered risk by 63%.
• Those hitting 140+ minutes weekly saw a 69% lower risk.
• Even frail adults saw major benefits, proving exercise works for nearly everyone.
The key takeaway: Yes, more movement means more protection.
But even 5 minutes can make a huge difference.