Olympic Sports that Make You Smart
If the Olympics haven’t yet inspired you to get moving, maybe knowing that exercise won’t just help you get trim and toned will help: A growing body of research shows that working out may also keep your mind sharp. Scientists say that once we hit our late 20s, the part of the brain responsible for memory and certain types of learning begins to shrink 1 percent annually. Getting sweaty can help preserve your mental muscle, just as it keeps the rest of your body in top shape.
You’ll reap these brain-boosting benefits with five 30-minute exercise sessions a week, and any activity will do. But researchers from the Mayo Clinic say you’ll get the most benefit from sports that require concentration, hand-eye coordination, and precision. And many of the sports that you’ve been seeing on television are a perfect match:
- Ping-pong
- Taekwondo
- Fencing
- Rowing
- Canoeing
Would you try any of these sports?
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