Exercise boosts your brainpower; Intensity may matter

In an attempt to hang on to your cognitive function as you age, you may do crossword puzzles, join a book club, or keep up friendships to stay connected. But to do all you can to maintain your mental abilities, you really should be exercising.

That's the conclusion of a review published this week by the Association for Psychological Science. It's not a new idea; the paper surveys the available research on the topic and concludes that cognitive enrichment activities—puzzles, social interaction, and the like—may well help you preserve brain function as you age. But they were especially complimentary towards physical activity. "What is most impressive to us," the authors write, "is the evidence demonstrating benefits of aerobic physical exercise on cognitive functioning in older adults."