
Exercise as a Preventive or Disease-Modifying Treatment for Dementia Brain Aging - todd8
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3258000/
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paulborza
I've started exercising seriously last September. I've been waking up at 5am
on Monday, Wednesday and Friday since then and never felt better. I'm 31. I
was always super skinny, but that's no longer the case now.

I've gained 25lbs since then by following the 5x5 workout routine. I highly
recommend it. There are good apps for the 5x5 workout routine in the app
stores too. [https://stronglifts.com/5x5/](https://stronglifts.com/5x5/)

Go to the gym three times a week for 1 hour and follow the 5x5 routine. You're
always sore, but after a while you get used to it. Now I enjoy it a lot. Find
a buddy to go to the gym with; that helps a lot.

~~~
rubicon33
I've found lifting heavy, and often, to be difficult to stick to while holding
down a career. Specifically because of this:

> _You 're always sore, but after a while you get used to it._

Being incredibly sore makes it VERY hard for me to get going in the morning
(something I already struggle with). It sounds like you might naturally be a
morning person if you're exercising at 5am, so maybe this isn't an issue for
you. I find I'm running a lot more these days. I've lost weight as a result,
but, at least I'm functional at work.

~~~
fasteo
I was in the same wagon, but note that being sore is not the problem. Heavy
lifting is very taxing to the central nervous system and this is what causes
the systemic fatigue that won't let you be productive at work. A couple of
recommendations that worked for me (46 years old)

1\. Lower the intensity. There are a tons of ways to do this, but the simplest
would be doing heavy lifting only in the first core lift of the day (squat,
deadlift, bench or press). Then, increase the volume (lower the weights,
increase the reps) for the rest of the exercises.

2\. Periodize your workout plan. This is a science in itself, but the general
idea is to adjust the intensity and volume over a period of 4-8 weeks,
including a deload week every now and then.

3\. Ditch the deadlift. At least for me, deadlift is too taxing.

Hope this helps.

~~~
rubicon33
Deadlifts and Squats are the two that REALLY make the next couple of days a
challenge. And I agree that it's likely not just the fact that the muscles are
sore, because, the feeling is systemic. My entire mind and body entity are
functioning on a lower level (recovering) in the days following intense
Deadlifts or Squats, and to a lesser degree other lifts. I already struggle a
TON with "getting going" in the morning, sometimes not reaching peak mental
capacity until the early after noon. Lifting only delays this further.

I've talked with "professional" body builders (not IFBB level but people who
do it for a living) and most of them say they suffer from very little if any
soreness / mental fatigue. It has led me to believe, as crushing to my ego as
it is, that I just don't have the same recovery capability as these guys, nor
the same potential for growth.

I've gone so far as to get my labs checked, just to be sure I didn't have some
obvious problem. Tests all came back normal.

As such, gaining muscle seems out or reach as it requires an intense regimen,
and tons of food. When that starts to take away from my work, I gotta do
something else. Hence, running :(

~~~
delecti
Your comment seems rather strange to me, because my mood and alertness both
improved noticeably when I started lifting weights last summer.

~~~
3131s
I know what they mean. It's sort of a calm, hazy feeling for me, but I'm
probably more productive in that phase anyway.

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blisterpeanuts
Exercising is a "no brainer" preventative treatment. Increased cardiovascular
activity provides more and faster oxygen and nutrient flow to the brain which
helps the brain to build more neurons.

Another important approach is to build up your cognitive reserve[1]. Evidence
exists that people who read more, socially interact more, play music, dance,
and stay physically active can delay the onset of dementia by years.

Eating right (minimize processed foods and sugars, focus on raw foods,
vegetables, fruit, minimal chemicals) is also associated with better memory.

Finally, getting a full 8 hours of sleep is associated with good brain health.
The brain appears to require about 7-8 hours to fully process the day's
knowledge and build it into long term memory structures. If you cheat yourself
and get 4-6 hours, most likely your brain simply won't have a chance to build
those neural structures to capture long term memories.

Probably the type of people who read Hacker News are doing a lot of this stuff
already; just working in a technical field that forces you to think all day is
very helpful. Exercise and diet are probably the areas that techies
notoriously neglect, but that's perhaps more a previous generation than the
more health-conscious folks of today's workplace.

[1][https://www.amazon.com/Harvard-Medical-School-Achieving-
Opti...](https://www.amazon.com/Harvard-Medical-School-Achieving-
Optimal/dp/007144470X)

~~~
victorhooi
I just noticed you mentioned building more neurons - I thought I'd rea
somewhere that the number of neurons was fixed at some point in teenagehood,
and didn't increase beyond that?

Or am I misunderstanding that point?

(It would be pretty good if we could grow/regrow them).

~~~
blisterpeanuts
It's generally accepted today that neurogenesis does occur in the adult brain.

That said, probably the main activity in the adult brain is developing
interconnections between existing neurons, which requires generation of new
dendrites and axons and whatever other structures.

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Fricken
I started running last fall, but it's boring as hell so in the spring I picked
up skateboarding (at 40). It's the steepest and most rewarding learning curve
I've been on for a long time. The downside is that all I can think about at
work is what I'm going to do when my rickety old body has repaired itself well
enough to skateboard again. I'm pretty sure that's a good indicator I'm
stimulating parts of my brain that haven't been challenged in a good long
time.

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notadoc
Exercise is good for nearly everything. We evolved to be active, not to be
sedentary. The more you can move, the better.

~~~
arwhatever
Hopefully we evolve to be sedentary here pretty quickly.

~~~
pm90
What does that even mean? Its not like evolution did some magics that we
become better with exercise. Our bodies are trained by actual physical
exertions, which are not possible if one is sedentary.

~~~
bluGill
Humans generally are more valued for doing desk jobs vs physical jobs today.
You can survive doing physical labor, but it will be a low paid job. The jobs
where you sit behind a desk and your only exercise is pushing a keyboard/mouse
are much higher paying, and more stable. As such it is an evolutionary
advantage to sedentary today: you are more likely to be able to afford food,
and since you are not active you need less of it.

The above might sound good, it won't work that way. Exercise hard or be a
couch potato - either way your DNA is not a dead end. Either way you get
enough food for your and your kids. You will have more luxuries from the
sedentary life, but those are not things evolution cares about.

There are other shortcuts. Bio engineering is promising. There are lots of
other advances in medicine. Any of them could solve the problems of sedentary
life in the future. Or maybe not, we don't know what the limits of each is.

~~~
jrowley
Only a few humans can get rich with physical jobs, e.g. Stef Curry with his
$200 million, 5 year contract.

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zitterbewegung
My Uncle has Alzheimer's and this makes me feel even better about my exercise
goals now. I lost around 40 pounds and I'm shooing for another 40-50 ish.

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Danihan
Wait until they discover fasting..

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rsync
"Wait until they discover fasting.."

 _Rediscover_. Fasting is preserved as a commandment in all the major world
religions.

~~~
throwawayxx09
So is murdering adulterers. We should probably do science instead of relying
on traditions from illiterate desert dwellers from thousands of years ago.

~~~
BeetleB
>So is murdering adulterers.

Yes, and if someone spoke of "discovering" the concept of murdering
adulterers, it would be appropriate to point out that this is not new.

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pconnelly15
I love being intensely active, but it’s not an everyday thing. I run, I surf,
I hike, I bike as much as my lifestyle allows. I like intense exercise because
it fits my personality, but that’s not to say it’s more healthy than other
forms of exercise. I look like an awkward giraffe in yoga class, you might
look like an elegant swan. Do what works best for you. I am active every day.
I walk around, I stand. I talk. I MOVE! If you can’t get 10,000 steps or 30
min of active time each day without an intense workout, I would suggest re-
thinking your health beliefs.

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ropable
I lift heavy so that 90-year-old-me doesn't fall down. Turns out I run so that
90-year-old-me doesn't lose his marbles also.

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dghughes
I never was into sports but after high school I went to the gym and did for
about 20 years. I got out of the habit when I started shift work and never got
back except some cycling in the summer.

I miss the feeling after I pushed myself the warm feeling and the total
relaxation no aches no stress. I hated the feeling of missing the gym I could
feel the tendons in the back of my knees and crooks of my arms (inner elbow?)
ache.

The problem was I never made any progress I must be what is called a non-
responder. If I tried to do more I got tired and took more time off. Often I
found I did better after taking a three or four days off.

But any exercise is like medicine you're only there you only exercise because
you have to. I want to be active but not a march forced by the fear of death I
want to be there because it's fun.

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aantix
Exercise. Fasting. Daily Aspirin. Daily Metformin.

Together should put you in a pretty good position.

~~~
throwawaymanbot
Daily Aspirin is very harsh on the stomach.

~~~
e40
Not the low dose version. I've been taking them for 5+ years and never once
had a problem with the stomach (that wasn't obviously something else).

~~~
feld
Except the increased risk of heart attack and the damage to kidneys and
bowels...

~~~
e40
Huh? Taking low dose aspirin lowers the risk of heart attack. No indication of
kidney issues[0]. Where are you getting your information??

[0] [http://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/is-low-dose-
aspir...](http://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/is-low-dose-aspirin-safe-
for-you)

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tsomctl
As a counter-anecdote, my grandpa was a logger his whole life, and was
physically active and still running a chainsaw well after he started getting
Alzheimers.

~~~
dghughes
>and still running a chainsaw well after he started getting Alzheimers.

No offense but that sounds a bit terrifying.

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krupan
I just hope I don't hurt myself exercising while I'm relatively young in such
a way that makes it hard to exercise when I'm old.

~~~
magic_beans
Don't let fear of injury stop you. If you get injured exercising, it's because
your form is incorrect or you took on a lift your body wasn't ready for.

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8sigma
This maybe a little off-topic and an inappropriate forum to ask,but I am
desperate for an answer.

I need advice to increase my Weight.

My Stats:

Height:5'6" Age:25 Weight:50Kg/110.231 Pounds

I wish to gain another 20Kgs.I am too skinny as of now.Really want to get
fit.I have tried eating more than my usual food intake,but i suffer from
indigestion whenever I do that.Looking for some helpful advice.

~~~
magic_beans
Your only option is to eat more and build muscle. Try one of the many
weightlifting plans out there. Eat 6 tablespoons of high-quality peanut butter
a day.

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TheGrassyKnoll
Ultimate frisbee (but you've gotta like to compete)

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js2
(2011)

