While exercising is among the best ways to keep strengthening your brain, you do not need to go hard every time to reap the benefits. A new study published in The British Journal of Sports Medicine says all kinds of exercise, regardless of how intense they are, can significantly boost your brain health.

According to experts, moderate-intensity exercise is the best for the most significant results for memory and executive functions like problem-solving and reasoning. Also, low-intensity exercise is helpful for general cognition. The study stressed doing specific activities like yoga and tai chi, delivering the most significant cognitive benefits.

The study, which included over 258,000 participants, looked for patterns across the various reports, with the researchers finding “strong evidence that exercise improves general cognition, memory, and executive function across all age groups,” said Dr Ben Singh, lead study author and researcher in population and digital health at the University of South Australia. Singh said that mostly children, adolescents, and those with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, benefited the most.

A few other exercise factors that impacted brain health included:

Low- to moderate-intensity exercise showed better results when it comes to brain health than vigorous or high-intensity exercise.

Even three months of regular exercise is positively beneficial for general cognition.

Any kind of activity that requires physical movement has the biggest effects on cognition and memory. You can try those workouts that make you remember coordinated movement sequences, like yoga.

Best exercises for strengthening your brain

Yoga

Yoga is an ancient Indian practice that is a great combination of postures, breathing, and meditation, which can significantly improve your brain health, including stress reduction. Regularly doing yoga asanas helps reduce stress and inflammation and supports hippocampal function – your brain’s center for memory. It also supports decision-making, planning, and emotional regulation.

To reap the brain health benefits, you can begin with short sessions—around 20 to 30 minutes, twice or thrice a week.

It is a traditional Chinese martial art that is a combination of slow movements and deep breathing that intentionally balances energy through you. Also known as moving meditation, sequences in Tai Chi help slow down the mind, body, and breath – thereby strengthening your cognitive health more effectively than other exercises.

It also helps activate your brain regions that are responsible for memory and motor functions. Since Tai Chi has you remember a specific set of movements, it helps challenge memory and lower stress levels. You must practice Tai Chi at least three times a week for at least an hour to reap the maximum benefits.

Exergames are video games – a mix of physical activity along with screen time to make your workout more exciting, engaging, and cognitively stimulating. A few of these include step-based rhythm dancing, virtual reality fitness games, and dancing revolutions. Experts believe trying to follow patterns and solving challenges while exercising helps sharpen attention, coordination, and memory.

To maximise cognitive benefits, you must play these games for at least 20 to 30 minutes, three to five times weekly.