You'll need aerobic exercise to benefit your brain

In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study, "scientists started with 120 elderly volunteers who were relatively inactive but did not have dementia. Half were randomly assigned to begin walking 40 minutes a day, three days a week for a year while the remainder only stretched and performed toning exercises for the same time period. After 12 months, the group that walked showed an average 2% growth in the hippocampus compared with when they began, while the control groups suffered a more than 1% shrinkage in the same region compared with when the study started.

“If you estimate the change at an individual level,” says study co-author Arthur Kramer of the University of Illinois, “a yearlong exercise program can turn back the clock about two years with respect to the volume of the hippocampus.” "

"Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory, "
PNAS 2011 108 (7) 3017-3022; published ahead of print January 31, 2011

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/01/31/want-to-improve-your-memory-take-a-walk/#ixzz1Euftky36

Friday Family Photo--little Louis

During exercise class the instructor's little boy loves to come to my husband; he ignores the ladies. He's very well behaved and last year he just napped through the noise; now he plays with his trucks and books, and if my husband is on the floor he scoots himself over with a book.

UALC has three options for exercise--this class which meets at the Lytham campus at 9:15 on M-W-F and is a combination of weights, stretching and cardiovascular with three different instructors; a more gentle exercise group for older people at 10 on M and Th which focuses on mobility; and a killer work out at Mill Run called Boot Camp on T and Th at 9:30. I've seen them when I do the mail run on Thursdays. You don't want to mess with that instructor in a dark alley.

Lytham Road Exercise class

This works well as a hymn, and since the class is in the church fellowship hall, I'll sing it for you. The class meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:15 for an hour at UALC Lytham campus, 2300 Lytham Rd., Upper Arlington, with three different instructors and work-outs. No matter what. I'm really not into exercise, but it's good for me. And you.


It's Wednesday
It's Wednesday
It's Exercise day (2x)

Oh card i o
Oh Weight lift
It's jump and repeat.

It's Wednesday
I hate it
It's Exercise day.

When I sang it for the class, demonstrating why I'm no longer in choir, Jan recognized the tune as "Immortal, invisible, God only wise," composed by Walter Chalmers Smith, and used with a Welsh melody.

New Year's Resolution No. 6

Join the exercise class at UALC, 2300 Lytham Road, Upper Arlington, Ohio 43220, 614-451-3736, www.ualc.org. I much prefer walking outside (actually, I'd prefer to not do anything--I'm really a non-athlete), but it's just too cold.

9:15 a.m., Monday, Wednesday and Friday. If you live in the Columbus area, you are welcome to join us, too. It's $3 a class, or you can buy a ticket, $35 for 18 classes.

I'm all set. Got my sweats on and my clunky athletic shoes, ready for the new year with the 7 lbs I gained over the holidays, the average for Americans.

Good for a cardio workout

even if you don't get out of your chair. My husband leads a group of ladies in an exercise class. He selects his own music, some of it pretty lively. I used to attend, but the church fellowship hall is carpet over concrete, and my hip joints didn't like that, so now I just walk outside. Anyway, back to the heading. Back in Skinny Jeans says this is a great cardio workout. I'll play it for my husband, but I'm betting we don't have the CD!

My heart rate went up just listening to it, which is why I don't go to the X-Alt services at church. Loud. Thump-de-dump. Noise. People think they are having a spiritual experience, but the noise is just changing their heart rate. But then, Bach can do that too. I'm listening to his concertos as I type. (Michael Murray, Bach, The organs at First Congregational Church, Los Angeles)