Want to Exercise More? The Key May Be to ‘Exercise’ Your Brain

Engaging your mind can help you get off the couch

Christine Richmond

Updated June 25, 2025

Back view of a woman stretching as she watches an exercise class on TV

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We know that exercise benefits the brain, but could having a healthy brain also push us to exercise? Study after study has found that physical activity can improve mood, help ward off memory loss and more. That’s why ongoing exercise is one of Staying Sharp’s six pillars of brain health.

But exercise as a boon for the brain is only half the story. In the proverbial chicken-and-egg question, which should come first: exercising your body, or exercising your brain? Turns out, the brain may be the key to keeping us active.

Researchers studied the MRI scans of 131 people around ages 60 to 70 and then asked them to go to group exercise classes three times a week for six months. Those whose MRI results showed evidence of greater cognitive reserve — more gray matter in areas of the brain involved in executive function, for example — completed the most workouts during the six-month period, according to the study, published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise in 2022.

Similarly, people with lower scores on cognitive tests were less likely to engage in regular exercise, such as gardening, cleaning the car or going for a walk, according to a study published in Health Psychology in 2020. Researchers looked at data from more than 100,000 adults ages 50 to 90 whose exercise habits and thinking skills were measured over a 12-year period. What their findings suggest, says Boris Cheval, a co-author of the study, is that “a healthy brain is needed to ensure healthy physical habits, and both are crucial to ensure healthy aging.”

Cheval, an associate professor of sports science and physical education at ENS Rennes in France, says the relationship between mental activity and physical activity can be either “a vicious or a virtuous cycle.” In other words, if you don’t do activities to stimulate and challenge your brain, you may be less likely to get up off the couch and do the physical exercise you — and your brain — really need.

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4 tips for success:

Maintain your brain. Don’t overlook the importance of keeping your brain challenged and stimulated to help you stay physically active, Cheval says. Read, schedule a game night with friends or learn new skills through in-person or online classes that help you venture out of your comfort zone.
Know that every minute of movement counts. If long, sweaty workouts aren’t your thing, you have other options. What’s important is to avoid being sedentary, which you can do by adding small bits of physical activity into your day. Start slow if you haven’t exercised in a while, but keep it up. Any physical activity is better than none.
Remember it’s not too late. Older adults who have been sedentary can get active at any age with positive results, according to an analysis of data from about 315,000 adults ages 50 to 71 in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. Much to their surprise, NIH researchers found that increasing physical activity in late adulthood was associated with health benefits similar to those of people who had been active since early adulthood. Exercise offers brain benefits, even for people with mild cognitive impairment. In a study of 90 older adults ages 60 to 80 with MCI, those who completed a three-month, at-home exercise program performed better on memory tests. The participants saw benefits regardless of whether they did low-impact aerobic exercise, like walking, or light resistance training, such as wall push-ups; results were published in Frontiers in Medicine in 2024.
Enlist a friend. Struggling to make exercise a priority? Finding a workout buddy can help. Socializing and getting support from family and friends were two of the biggest motivators that got people age 70 and older to exercise, according to a systematic review of 37 studies that included 26,961 total participants and was published in Age and Ageing in 2024. Sign up for a salsa dance or Zumba class, join a gardening club or schedule regular walks with a neighbor — your body and mind will thank you.