Variations on this saying have been around seemingly for ever. As with so many things our ancestors seem to have got right, recent research has backed it up with scientific proof. Neuro-scientist in Gothenburg, Sweden have recently completed a study that shows that cardiovascular exercise, especially at a young age, is linked with overall intelligence.

In a nutshell, cardiovascular exercise increases the flow of blood to the brain which possibly helps in the building of new brain cells. There is also evidence to suggest that other substances produced during exercise also aid in the long term structure and formation of the brain.

Previous studies have shown that continued cardiovascular exercise into later life has very positive effects such as maintaining brain function and delaying the onset of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. Similar studies have been done on weight bearing or resistance exercise and while they have not come up with anything conclusive on the effects on intelligence, it is documented that weight bearing exercise into later life decreases the virtual age of your muscle and skeletal structure. In other words, you look younger for longer.

For those of us that use the gym or exercise regularly, these studies are great news and support what many of us already believe. Exercise regularly from a young age and we reap the rewards all through our life, especially if we keep up that exercise. It may be worth re-assessing your program however if your workouts are not balanced. If you do all cardio workouts or only do weights, you are probably selling yourself short. Keep a good balance of the two (plus plenty of stretching to maintain flexibility and avoid injury) and you should not only continue to look good as you get older, but should keep your wits about you as you do.