By Larnie Zellner Jr. BS, Exercise Specialist
What would you say if exercise was effective in slowing motor and cognitive decline in individuals with dementia?
When it comes to dementia, there are several risk factors that cannot be changed such as age, family history, and mild cognitive impairments. There are, on the other hand, risks factors that can be changed. Some of these are cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and depression.
With regularly scheduled aerobic and strength training throughout your week, individuals with dementia can begin to take charge of controllable risk factors, slow motor, and cognitive decline, and begin to look and feel great during the process!
Exercise Regimen
DAY 1&3
| Exercise | Time | RPE** Scale 1-10 |
| Walk | 20 minutes | 7 |
DAY 2&4 (20.5 minutes total)
- Warm up: 10 min Bike
Complete 4 rounds (6 minutes)
| Exercise | Time | RPE** scale 1-10 |
| Pushup | 30 sec | 6 |
| Squat | 30 sec | 6 |
| Core-crunch | 30 sec | 6 |
Complete 3 Rounds (4.5 minutes)
| Exercise | Time | RPE** scale 1-10 |
| Dip | 30 sec | 6 |
| Lunge | 30 sec | 6 |
| Plank | 30 sec | 6 |
Tips and Precautions
- Perform all exercises as safely as possible with as many repetitions as possible
- Be sure to set a pace that you can maintain throughout the entire time allotted
- Consult with your physician before starting any new exercise program
*For more examples of other variations/exercises look under Multimedia-VDF Exercise Tips
**Go to our Resources page- For the most recommended tools, you need to succeed on your healthy living journey!!
Article’s Resources
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1064748114005727
The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry; Volume 23, Issue 11, November 2015, Pages 1106–1116