It is important to have physical activity such as exercising for brain development; it helps our brain and body function properly due to aging. Our brain is no different than rest of the muscles in our body. Our brain is able to continually adapt and rewire itself. Even in old age, it can grow new neurons. Severe mental decline is usually caused by disease, whereas most age-related losses in memory or motor skills simply result from inactivity and a lack of mental exercise and stimulation, you either use it or you lose it. When we utilize the gym to stimulate the growth of muscle cells, just as we use a brain fitness program to increase connections in our brain. When people hit to mid-age or older, physical exercises could benefit them by having positive effects on brain function on multiple fronts, ranging from the molecular to behavioral level. It increases heart rate, which pumps more oxygen to the brain. It also aids the bodily release of a plethora of hormones, all of which participate in aiding and providing a nourishing environment for the growth of brain cells. .
There are a number of elderly people that never show any signs of an age-related decline in cognitive functions. However, there are a greater number of older adults that do experience a loss of cognitive skills and abilities to varying degrees. For most of them the decline is part of the aging process caused by the death of brain cells. Just as the body needs physical exercise to keep fit, the brain needs mental exercise to stay active and alive. Mental exercise stimulates the brain, often providing long-lasting positive effects regarding thinking and reasoning skills, memory and processing speed. Cognitive skills are the mental capabilities that a person has which allow them to process all the information they receive from their five senses. These skills are needed for a person to be able to think, talk, learn or read.