And the stronger your legs are, the stronger your memory will be. That’s according to research from King’s College London. They followed over 300 sets of twins between age 43 and 73. The result: After more than a decade, the twin with the strongest legs had 18% less age-related cognitive decline… Meaning, their brain was more than 3 years younger than the brain of the sibling who was less-active. The stronger twin also had more gray matter, and a measurable boost in activity in the area of the brain linked to memory.
The researchers believe it’s because physical activities that build leg strength, like walking, trigger production of human growth hormone, which helps repair brain cells and grow new ones.