Do you ever forget the name of someone you know very well in your daily life and it doesn't come to mind even though you try? Of course, it could also be that you can't remember where you put the key. It is possible to multiply examples of brain freezes.
If you are faced with situations like these, you need to take action to keep your brain as well as your body functional and sharp.
Tai Chi is a unique tool in this sense. On the one hand, it eliminates the physical wear and tear caused by decreased activity as we age, and on the other hand, although it looks like a physical exercise from the outside, it also allows for mental strengthening.
There are many studies that demonstrate this fact, here is one of them: " Clinical Effect of Cognitively Enhanced Tai Ji Quan Training on Global Cognition and Dual Task Performance During Walking in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment or Self-Reported Memory Problems "
The study, which found that Tai Chi slowed cognitive decline and protected against dementia, included nearly 300 older adults, on average in their mid-70s, who reported that their memories were not as good as they used to be.
As part of the study, all participants took a 10-minute test called the Montreal Cognitive Assessment to measure cognitive function. A normal score is 26 to 30. A person who scores between 18 and 25 is considered mildly impaired, meaning they don't have dementia but are not as sharp as they used to be and may need to work harder to carry out daily activities. At the start of the study, participants had an average score of 25.
A tai chi class held at the North Potomac Community Recreation Center in Potomac, Maryland, has been shown to improve balance, prevent falls and help slow cognitive decline.
The study found that people who practiced a simplified form of Tai Chi, called Tai Chi Chuan, twice a week for about six months increased their scores by 1.5 points. That increase may not seem like much, but "you've basically given yourself an extra three years" to stave off the decline, says study author Dr. Elizabeth Eckstrom.
Eckstrom says that in the elderly who continue to live inactively, Cognitive Assessment test scores drop by half a point each year, and when their scores drop below 18, people are already experiencing significant impairment from memory loss and cognitive decline. So based on these results, "if you can continue to do [tai chi] routinely two or three days a week, you're going to have extra years before you start to decline into dementia," he says.
In the study, the group was asked to write a word forward and backward during Tai Chi practice, and the score increase in this group, which was also subjected to cognitive exercise, was determined to be +3. This also evolved over six years.
Dr. Elizabeth Eckstrom says that it is understandable to understand the positive effects of Tai Chi on the body and balance, and that Tai Chi prevents cognitive decline because the exercises are done in a certain order, like a dance choreography.
Source: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/11/06/1210507968/thai-chi-word-games-cognition-mentally-sharp-meditation-motion