Getting your heart pumping through even a short burst of physical activity can give your brain a real boost, according to new research from the University of South Australia and the AdventHealth Research Institute in the United States.
The study, published in Age and Ageing, found that older adults who engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity—even for just a few minutes—tend to have sharper thinking skills and better memory.
Researchers looked at data from 585 adults aged 65 to 80 who took part in the U.S.-based IGNITE trial. They tracked how much time participants spent in different activities—such as sleeping, sitting, walking, or exercising—over a full day and compared this with their performance on cognitive tests.
The standout finding was clear: older adults who did more “huff-and-puff” exercise—such as brisk walking, light jogging, or water aerobics—performed significantly better on tests of brain speed, planning, multitasking, and short-term memory. In contrast, those who did little or no moderate-to-vigorous activity tended to have poorer results in those same areas.
Perhaps most exciting, the biggest improvements in brain function were seen in people who started from zero and began doing just five minutes of exercise a day. This means even small changes can make a noticeable difference. The study highlights that physical activity doesn’t need to be intense or lengthy to be helpful—it just needs to raise your heart rate a bit.
Dr. Maddison Mellow from UniSA, one of the study’s lead researchers, explained that how we divide our time each day—between sleep, sitting, and moving—has a major impact on our health. While it’s long been known that sleep, exercise, and rest are all important, this study looked specifically at how they interact to influence brain health.
“Physical activity, especially the kind that makes you breathe harder and gets your heart pumping, was linked to better performance on thinking tests,” Dr. Mellow said. “People who did more of this kind of activity had faster thinking speeds, better planning and multitasking skills, and stronger working memory—the ability to hold information in mind for short periods.”
Interestingly, the benefits didn’t extend to all types of thinking. The researchers didn’t find a link between physical activity and improvements in episodic memory (the memory of specific events) or visuospatial abilities (like remembering locations or recognizing shapes).
Still, the improvements in other brain functions were consistent across different age groups, races, and genetic backgrounds, suggesting the benefits of exercise are widespread and not limited to specific groups.
Co-author Dr. Audrey Collins emphasized how the study shows the importance of daily decisions. “We only have 24 hours in a day,” she said. “If we sleep for eight, that leaves 16 hours. How we use that time—how much we sit versus how much we move—really matters.”
With the number of older adults expected to grow rapidly in the coming years, this research adds to the growing understanding of how lifestyle can influence brain aging. The message is simple: if you want to keep your mind sharp as you age, moving more—even just a little—can make a difference.
Although the study was cross-sectional (based on data from one point in time), the results strongly suggest a link between physical activity and brain health. The next step, the researchers say, is to test these findings over time in larger, long-term studies.
But for now, the takeaway is powerful: every bit of movement counts. A few minutes of brisk walking or any heart-pumping activity could be a key to maintaining better brain function later in life.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about inflammation that may actually slow down cognitive decline in older people, and low vitamin D may speed up cognitive decline.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about common exercises that could protect against cognitive decline, and results showing that this MIND diet may protect your cognitive function, prevent dementia.
The research findings can be found in Age and Ageing.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
