USE IT OR LOSE IT?
Your brain likes a challenge too.
We spend a lot of time thinking about keeping our bodies healthy as we get older.
Muscle. Bones. Heart. Fitness. Mobility.
But there's another rather important bit we'd quite like to keep working well:
OUR BRAIN.
And looking after it isn't just about doing the occasional crossword.
Learning, moving, reacting, remembering, solving problems, socialising and trying new things all give the brain something to do.
The aim is to keep using it — and occasionally make it work quite hard.
YOUR BRAIN CAN CHANGE
Our brains retain the ability to change and adapt throughout life.
This is known as neuroplasticity.
When we learn and practise new skills, the brain can strengthen and reorganise connections and networks involved in those skills.
And here's the interesting bit:
Being slightly rubbish at something can be useful.
Dr Tommy Wood, a physician and neuroscientist who researches brain health, talks about the importance of giving ourselves opportunities to fail, adjust and try again.
If something is completely automatic and easy, there's less need to adapt.
So:
Forget the French word.
Miss the tennis shot.
Lose the computer game.
Turn the wrong way in aerobics.
Then try again.
You haven't failed at exercising your brain.
That was the exercise.
EXERCISE ISN'T JUST FOR YOUR BODY
We tend to think about exercise in terms of:
Strength.
Muscle.
Bones.
Heart health.
Fitness.
Weight.
All important.
But physical activity is also associated with better cognitive health and a lower risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
Exercise affects blood flow to the brain and is associated with biological processes involved in brain health and neuroplasticity.
So when you exercise, you're not only training your body.
You're doing something valuable for your brain too.
That's another very good reason to keep moving as we get older.
OPEN OR CLOSED?
Dr Wood also highlights an interesting distinction between closed-skill and open-skill exercise.
Closed-skill activities
These happen in relatively predictable environments.
Walking.
Running.
Swimming lengths.
Cycling.
Using a treadmill.
They're excellent forms of exercise and absolutely beneficial for health.
But you broadly know what's going to happen next.
Open-skill activities
These are unpredictable.
Think:
Tennis
Pickleball
Padel
Badminton
Table tennis
Football
You have to watch what's happening.
Predict.
React.
Make decisions.
Coordinate your body.
Change direction.
Adjust when things don't go according to plan.
Your body is exercising while your brain is constantly solving problems.
Research comparing open- and closed-skill exercise suggests that open-skill activities may provide additional benefits for aspects of executive function, including attention, inhibition, working memory and cognitive flexibility.
That doesn't mean running isn't good for your brain.
It means chasing an unpredictable ball may give it something extra to think about.
AEROBICS AND DANCE COUNT TOO
Think about an aerobics or dance class.
You have to:
Watch the instructor.
Listen to the music.
Remember sequences.
Coordinate arms and legs.
Change direction.
React when the routine changes.
And occasionally realise everyone else has gone left while you've confidently gone right.
That's not just cardio.
It's also attention, memory, processing, coordination and learning.
CHALLENGE YOUR PROCESSING SPEED
Processing speed is essentially how quickly and efficiently we can take in information and respond.
This is something that can be trained.
The large ACTIVE trial, involving more than 2,800 older adults, compared training in memory, reasoning and visual speed of processing.
At 10-year follow-up, the group receiving speed-of-processing training had a 29% lower hazard of dementia than the untreated control group. The memory and reasoning groups did not show a statistically significant reduction.
The type of speed training used in this research is related to exercises now available through BrainHQ.
This doesn't mean a brain-training app prevents dementia.
But it does suggest that targeted cognitive training can have meaningful effects.
KEEP LEARNING
You don't need specialist equipment.
Give your brain different sorts of challenges.
Try:
Reading
Learning a language — perhaps using Duolingo
Playing an instrument
Computer or video games that require strategy, attention or quick reactions
Bridge or chess
Learning a new sport
Dancing
Photography or art
Taking a course
Learning a completely new skill
The important bit is that you're not simply going through the motions.
You have to pay attention, learn, remember and adapt.
DON'T FORGET OTHER PEOPLE
Social interaction gives the brain plenty to do too.
Conversation requires us to:
Listen.
Remember.
Interpret.
Respond.
Read expressions.
Follow stories.
And occasionally remember someone's name.
Social engagement is also associated with better cognitive health and forms part of the wider picture of healthy ageing.
Which means a game of pickleball with friends might give you:
Physical activity
Reaction and coordination
Decision-making
Social interaction
Learning
Fun
That's quite a lot going on for one hour.
BUILD YOUR OWN BRAIN GYM
You don't need to do everything.
Think variety.
MOVE
Walk, exercise, strength train and get your heart working.
REACT
Try activities that make you respond to something unpredictable.
LEARN
Languages, music, sport, technology, courses or new skills.
THINK
Read, solve problems, play games and challenge your processing speed.
CONNECT
Talk, laugh, join groups and do things with other people.
FAIL
Do something you're not already good at.
Then have another go.
THE TAKE-HOME MESSAGE
There is no single exercise, sport, puzzle or app proven to prevent Alzheimer's disease or dementia.
Dementia risk is influenced by many things, including age, genetics and wider health.
But evidence increasingly supports a whole-person approach to brain health, including physical activity, cognitive stimulation, social connection and managing wider health risks such as blood pressure, smoking, alcohol, hearing loss and diabetes.
So don't think of exercise as being only about your weight, muscles, heart or bones.
Your brain is coming along for the ride too.
Play sport.
Walk.
Dance.
Read.
Learn Spanish.
Play computer games.
Try BrainHQ.
Take a course.
Learn something new.
And occasionally choose something you're absolutely terrible at.
Your brain likes having something to work on.
Exercise isn't just an investment in the body you want to have later — it's an investment in the brain you want to take with you.
Sources & further reading
World Health Organization (2026). Risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia: WHO guidelines, second edition.
Wood, T. (2026). Discussion of cognitive challenge, learning, neuroplasticity and open-skill activity on The Tim Ferriss Show: How to Future-Proof Your Brain from Dementia.
Gu Q et al. (2019). Effects of Open Versus Closed Skill Exercise on Cognitive Function: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Psychology.
Edwards JD et al. (2017). Speed of processing training results in lower risk of dementia. Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions.
Rebok GW et al. (2014). Ten-Year Effects of the ACTIVE Cognitive Training Trial on Cognition and Everyday Functioning in Older Adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Livingston G et al. (2024). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission.The Lancet.
For your information
This handout provides general education about cognitive health, physical activity and wellbeing. Dementia and Alzheimer's disease are complex conditions influenced by age, genetics, health, environment and lifestyle. No individual activity or lifestyle behaviour can guarantee prevention. Speak to an appropriate healthcare professional if you have concerns about memory, cognition or neurological health.
For client use only. Please do not copy, reproduce, distribute or share without permission.