Exercise is good for us, right? And mindfulness is good for us, right? So exercise combined with mindfulness should be doubly good, particularly when it comes to cognitive function, right? Wrong. Science Daily reports on a Washington University study of the combined influence of exercise and mindfulness on the cognitive function of 585 adults over 65. The study cohort was divided into four groups: one worked with exercise instructors; one supervised by trained experts in the practice of mindfulness; one did regular exercise and mindfulness training; and one did neither, but met for sessions focused on general health education topics. The good news: after 18 months, all groups performed slightly better on memory tests. The bad news: researchers believe the slight improvement came from practice-they were given similar tests several times over the testing period. Brain scans also showed no difference between the groups.
What does that say about the cognitive benefits of combined exercise and mindfulness? Not much, and not enough, according to the researchers, to say that it does or does not improve our thinking.
Read more in Science Daily.