Art Kramer: An even better reason to exercise (as if we really needed another)

I attended Art Kramer's talk with two of my close friends. By the time we left the event, we had made a pact to be exercise buddies during the upcoming semester. We'll see how well that plan holds up, but it got me thinking: why was Art Kramer's presentation so much more motivating than the MILLIONS of other reasons that there are to exercise regularly? The fact that exercising is good for us has really never been disputed, unless you're injured nothing but good can come of it. However, we often think of the benefits as being purely aesthetic and physical. Sure, it's great to feel good, look good, and stay physically healthy into old age, all of these are extremely desirable benefits. However, I would argue that, especially as we age, we are much more attached to our mental acuity than to our physical well-being. Physical decline is uncomfortable and inconvenient, mental decline is debilitating. On a certain level we ARE our minds; to lose mental capability is essentially to lose a part of ourselves. People seem to have a much easier time coming to terms with the physical losses of aging. Can't play a sport that you used to enjoy anymore? It's a bummer, but after all I am getting older. Can't find your car keys or remember the name of a distant acquaintance? That's it, it's over, the dementia is here. So, Kramer's studies give us a special sense of hope. Something that is usually never associated with mental preservation has suddenly become an option, even when mental faculties seem to be on the way out. The study that Kramer presented about the effect of exercise in patients that already had Alzheimer's, MS and Parkinson's was probably the most impressive to me. It's easy to believe that exercise could have a positive effect in people who still have a healthy brain, but when it can improve or help lessen the effect on already diseased brains you know that it is rather powerful. What did I take away from this talk? It's never too late to improve your mind and exercise really does help everything.