Engage in physical training (combining strength training and HIIT) starting in your forties to preserve brain health, stimulate neuron growth, and slow cognitive aging.

noli's read

Stacy Sims relies on very solid scientific foundations to promote physical training focused on cognitive longevity for women over 40. Regarding strength training, the study she cites (Gonzalez-Gomez et al., GeroScience, 2026) is a high-quality randomized controlled trial (RCT) demonstrating that strength training (moderate or heavy) reduces the brain's biological age by 1.4 to 2.3 years by optimizing global neuronal connectivity. For HIIT, multiple meta-analyses and systematic reviews validate the fact that these short, intense efforts acutely increase levels of BDNF, a protein essential for neuronal plasticity. The release of lactate during HIIT also acts as a molecular signal directly promoting the synthesis of this neurotrophic factor, a hypothesis widely shared in current research. However, labeling strength training as the "best" activity for cognition proves slightly exaggerated, as numerous works highlight the complementarity of endurance exercises rather than an absolute superiority of strength. Finally, her recommendation to act starting in one's forties fits perfectly with the research consensus on preventing cognitive decline.

the sources

1. 1Milanović Z, Sporiš G, Weston M 2015