Rejuvenation cures are less and less mythical, judging by modern techniques that promise to fight against the effects of passing time. Among them, the radical which proposes a blood transfusion of teenagers, the daring which consists in adopting an offbeat style rather typical of the "Millennials" or the simplest which wants that we practice a well-defined and incredibly effective discipline to preserve an agility of mind:dance. Activity obviously has many benefits in terms of physical fitness, but it would also be beneficial to good mental health. A study conducted by the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Magdeburg and published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience suggests that dancing could reverse the signs of aging in the brain. We like that!
Participants, men and women alike and aged 68 and over, took part in an exercise program which consisted of taking a weekly dance lesson or a once-a-week endurance and flexibility session, for 18 months. And the results are amazing, as Dr. Kathrin Rehfeld, author of the study, explains:“We found that two types of physical exercise – dance and endurance training – improve the brain which declines with age […] And only dancing brings about a remarkable evolution in terms of balance ". The brain area in question is the hippocampus:it plays a role in memory, learning and balance among others, and is affected by diseases such as Alzheimer's. With age, it tends to shrink, an effect that would slow down the practice of dance and endurance, therefore. Research indicates that if dance has proven to be even more effective, it is because it involves a certain concentration necessary to remember the choreographies, whereas endurance (cycling and Nordic walking) consists of repeating the same gestures. Come on, we can't wait any longer to sign up for Zumba!
