We all know regular exercise comes with numerous brain health benefits, like improving memory and thinking skills, helping to ward away cognitive decline in old age. However, hitting pause on our workout routine could weigh heavy on our conscious — literally. A recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience found stopping exercise for just 10 days can significantly reduce blood flow to several brain regions, including the hippocampus. 
 
 "We know that the hippocampus plays an important role in learning and memory and is one of the first brain regions to shrink in people with Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. J. Carson Smith, lead author of the study and associate professor of kinesiology at University of Maryland School of Public Health (UMD), in a statement. 
 
 Typically, the hippocampus shrinks in late adulthood, which is what leads to impaired memory and increased risk for dementia. Previous research has found the hippocampus responds to exercise training by increasing in volume, and leading to improvements in spatial memory. Aerobic exercise training can be effective at reversing hippocampal volume loss in late adulthood, which is accompanied by improved memory function. 
 
 In the UMD study Smith and his colleagues observed ‘master athletes” who were between the ages of 50 and 80 (average age was 61), who had at least 15 years history of participating in endurance exercise, and who have recently competed in an endurance event. The participants' exercise routines included at least four hours of high intensity endurance training each week. On average, they were running ~36 miles each week or the equivalent of a 10K run a day. This group also had a VO2 max — the maximum amount of oxygen the body is capable to use of in one minute — above 90 percent for their age. 
 
 An MRI scan was used to measure the velocity of blood flow in the brain while the athletes were following their regular training routine, specifically at peak fitness, and again after 10 days of no exercise. The researchers noted resting cerebral blood flow significantly decreased in eight brain regions, including the areas of the left and right hippocampus, and other regions known to be part of the brain's "default mode network" — a neural network known to deteriorate quickly with Alzheimer's disease. It's important to note these significant changes were regionally specific. 
 
 “[T]he take home message is simple - if you do stop exercising for 10 days, just as you will quickly lose your cardiovascular fitness, you will also experience a decrease in blood brain flow” said Smith, about the findings. 
 
 A similar study published in the journal Neurology found less fit middle-aged adults saw loss of brain volume after 20 years. Participants performed treadmill tests to estimate their “exercise capacity,” which was measured by monitoring the amount of time they could exercise before their heart rate passed a threshold. The researchers found for every The researchers found those who saw their blood pressure and heart rate surge the most during the treadmill test were “more likely to have smaller brain volumes two decades later,” they wrote. In other words, there was a direct correlation between poor fitness levels and brain volume decades later, which indicates accelerated brain aging. 
 
 Stopping exercise for awhile, or the lack of exercise, has important implications on our brain health. More research is needed to confirm how fast these changes occur, and what the long term effects could be. Researchers will also need to look into if these brain changes could be reversed with the resumption of exercise. 
 
 Source: Alfini AJ, Weiss LR, Leitner BP et al. Hippocampal and Cerebral Blood Flow after Exercise Cessation in Master Athletes. Front. Aging Neurosci. 2016. ||||| Physically fit, healthy older adults who stopped exercising for only 10 days showed signs of significant decreases in blood flow to parts of the brain that are important for thinking, learning, and memory - such as the hippocampus. 
 
 
 
 The researchers found significant reductions in resting brain blood flow in eight brain regions in fit older adults who stopped exercising. The researchers found significant reductions in resting brain blood flow in eight brain regions in fit older adults who stopped exercising. 
 
 This was the key finding of a new study - led by the University of Maryland (UMD) School of Public Health and recently published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience - that adds to growing evidence of links between physical fitness and cognitive health. 
 
 In their study paper, the researchers discuss how evidence shows endurance exercise training improves cerebrovascular health and has positive effects on the hippocampus, but what happens to these benefits if exercise ceases is somewhat unclear. 
 
 Lead author J. Carson Smith, associate professor of kinesiology at UMD says we know that the hippocampus is important for learning and memory. 
 
 He explains that studies of mice and rats have shown exercise increases growth of new blood vessels and brain cells. Also, research shows that in older people, exercise can protect the hippocampus from shrinking. He notes: 
 
 "So, it is significant that people who stopped exercising for only 10 days showed a decrease in blood flow to brain regions that are important for maintaining cognitive health." 
 
 Significant reductions in brain blood flow 
 
 Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans, the team measured brain blood flow in healthy, physically fit older adults aged from 50-89 years (average 61) before and after a 10-day period during which they stopped all exercise. 
 
 Fast facts about the hippocampus Named after its shape, the word "hippocampus" comes from old Greek via Latin for "seahorse" 
 
 Recent research finds the human brain stores time and place of memories in the hippocampus 
 
 The hippocampus is one the first parts of the brain to suffer damage in people with Alzheimer's disease. 
 
 From the brain scans, the researchers were able to assess the velocity of blood flow while the participants were at peak fitness and then again after 10 days of no exercise. 
 
 The results showed significant reductions in resting brain blood flow in eight brain regions - including the right and left hippocampus. 
 
 The other regions included parts of the "default mode network" - a brain structure that is known to deteriorate quickly in people with Alzheimer's disease. 
 
 However, the researchers found no significant change in cognitive function - measured using verbal fluency tests - in the participants from before to after they stopped exercising. 
 
 The participants who volunteered for the study were all "master athletes" whom the researchers describe as "a unique population and should not be considered equivalent to older adults who engage in regular moderate to vigorous intensity leisure-time physical activity." 
 
 The researchers were not surprised to find these senior athletes scored high for their age on aerobic fitness. Their VO2 max was in the top 10 percent for their age group (above the 90th percentile). VO2 max is the volume of oxygen a person consumes while exercising at their maximum capacity. 
 
 With an average continuous endurance training history of around 29 years, the volunteers regularly took part in national and regional events. 
 
 Just before taking part in the study, they were running an average of 59 kilometers a week and training on 5 days a week. 
 
 "We know that if you are less physically active, you are more likely to have cognitive problems and dementia as you age. However, we did not find any evidence that cognitive abilities worsened after stopping exercising for just 10 days. But the take home message is simple - if you do stop exercising for 10 days, just as you will quickly lose your cardiovascular fitness, you will also experience a decrease in blood brain flow." Prof. J. Carson Smith 
 
 The researchers say their findings point to a need for further research to discover how fast the brain blood flow changes occur, what their long-term effects could be, and whether they can be reversed by taking up exercise again. 
 
 Learn how any type of exercise appears to dramatically reduce risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. ||||| Before you skip another workout, you might think about your brain. A provocative new study finds that some of the benefits of exercise for brain health may evaporate if we take to the couch and stop being active, even just for a week or so. 
 
 I have frequently written about how physical activity, especially endurance exercise like running, aids our brains and minds. Studies with animals and people show that working out can lead to the creation of new neurons, blood vessels and synapses and greater overall volume in areas of the brain related to memory and higher-level thinking. 
 
 Presumably as a result, people and animals that exercise tend to have sturdier memories and cognitive skills than their sedentary counterparts. 
 
 Exercise prompts these changes in large part by increasing blood flow to the brain, many exercise scientists believe. Blood carries fuel and oxygen to brain cells, along with other substances that help to jump-start desirable biochemical processes there, so more blood circulating in the brain is generally a good thing. ||||| How one-minute bursts of exercise can boost health for over-60s in just six weeks 
 
 Easier to do tasks such as getting out of chair or carrying shopping 
 
 
 
 Study by Abertay University in Dundee into high intensity exercise 
 
 
 
 It could help ease the 'astronomical' cost of ill-health in the elderly 
 
 Short, sharp bursts of exercise could transform the lives of the over-60s, research suggests. 
 
 Just two one-minute sessions a week for six weeks dramatically improved the health and physical fitness of men and women in this age group. 
 
 Blood pressure dropped and everyday tasks such as getting out of a chair or carrying shopping became easier. 
 
 Scroll down for video 
 
 
 
 Improving health: Blood pressure dropped and everyday tasks such as getting out of a chair or carrying shopping became easier, after the participants had carried out two one-minute sessions a week for six weeks 
 
 The researchers from Abertay University in Dundee said short sessions of high intensity exercise could help ease the ‘astronomical’ cost of ill-health in the elderly. 
 
 High-intensity training, or HIT, purports to offer at least the same benefits as conventional activity but in the fraction of the time and is the subject of much research. The latest study is the first to focus on whether it may help older people. 
 
 Researcher John Babraj put six men and women aged over 60 through their paces in his lab twice a week for six weeks. 
 
 Each session began with them pedalling all-out on an exercise bike for six seconds before resting for at least a minute to allow their heart to recover and then giving it their all for another six seconds. 
 
 Experiment: Researchers from Abertay University in Dundee (pictured) said short sessions of high intensity exercise could help ease the 'astronomical' cost of ill-health in the elderly 
 
 Although they began by doing six six-second sprints, by end of the study, they were able to do ten per session – adding up to 60 seconds of activity. 
 
 After just six weeks, blood pressure fell by 9 per cent and day-to-day activities were easier, the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reports. 
 
 Dr Babraj said: ‘What we found with this study, which involves doing just one minute of exercise twice a week, is that it not only improved the participants’ physical health and ability to do these things, but also their perceptions of their own ability to engage in physical activity. 
 
 ‘They enjoyed it, were delighted with the effects it had on their health and, on top of that, felt they could fit it into their lives, which is something they aren’t able to do with current exercise recommendations. 
 
 ‘If people aren’t meeting the targets, we need to find ways to work with them when it comes to exercise, rather than just persisting with something that isn’t working. 
 
 ‘High-intensity training is an achievable alternative that could make a real difference to people’s health and quality of life.’ 
 
 Current guidelines say pensioners need to do at least two and a half hours of cycling or fast walking a week, plus two sessions of yoga, gardening or other activities that strengthen muscles. 
 
 Dr Babraj said that those who do not have an exercise bike can get the same benefit from six-second runs up a steep hill and added: ‘When it comes to the sprints, you don’t have to go at the speed of someone like Usain Bolt. 
 
 Tried it out: Andrew Marr has blamed the stroke he suffered on experimenting with high intensity exercise 
 
 ‘As long as you are putting in your maximal effort, whatever speed that happens to be, it will improve your health.’ 
 
 'High-intensity training is an achievable alternative that could make a real difference to people’s health and quality of life' John Babraj, researcher 
 
 He said it could be argued that short, sharp sessions put less strain on the heart than lengthier, less intensive ones. 
 
 BBC presenter Andrew Marr has blamed the stroke he suffered last year on experimenting with high intensity exercise. Dr Babraj cautioned that people should check with their doctor before embarking on a training programme.
– Think it's OK to take a week off from working out? Think again ... if you even can. A study published last month in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience finds the benefits of exercise on the brain can fade after just 10 days. Previous studies have shown that exercise increases blood flow to the brain, which can create new neurons, increase volume in important places, and possibly even improve memory and thought, the New York Times reports. But it was unclear how long that healthy increased blood flow and its benefits would last. Now we know: Less than 10 days. Researchers looked at a dozen "exceedingly fit" seniors—ages 50 to 80—who still ran 35 or more miles per week. After 10 days of doing nothing, the seniors had less blood flow to eight regions of their brain, including significantly less to the hippocampus, which is associated with memory, Medical News Today reports. Medical Daily quotes the study's lead author, Dr. J. Carson Smith, who says the hippocampus is "one of the first brain regions to shrink in people with Alzheimer's disease." The seniors didn't perform any worse on cognitive tests after 10 days of loafing about, and more research is needed to see if a cessation of exercise actually impacts the functioning of the brain. In the meantime, keep on that workout schedule. (Eleven hours of this brain game can cut dementia risk in half.)