Why keeping active is the best ‘pill’ for longevity

September 2023 – As we evolved from quadrupeds to bipeds, our brains grew significantly. While we were hunter-gatherers and maintained activity our brains stayed healthy over our life course. Of note, it was often a grandmother that led the hunter – gatherer team, and had to remember where to go, what to watch out for, what to look for and how to get back. As we became more sedentary we opened our brains to more dementia-related diseases. Sedentary, because I am retired and do not want to do anything or after a hospitalization or a death of a family member. Increasing physical activity (national Physical Activity Guidelines are 150 min/week of walking, strength training and balance training) helps restore the integrity of the blood-brain barrier to help keep stuff out of our brains that contributes to dementia. It is the most successful behavior change to support longevity and helps us keep doing “what matters” to us. Any increase in physical activity significantly reduces the risk of developing dementia. And, when we exercise we look younger than our counterparts.