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A good memory is useful for creativity; remembering something you’ve just learned helps you make connections and see possibilities.

A new study reported on the Science Daily website suggests that one way to boost memory and retention is exercise.

In the study, conducted by the Donders Institute at the Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands, 72 subjects learned a series of picture/location associations.

They were then randomly separated into three groups—one worked out on exercise bikes immediately after the session, another exercised four hours later, and the third group didn’t exercise at all.

Two days later, all the participants were tested on what they’d learned while undergoing an MRI.

The subjects who had exercised four hours after the session retained their knowledge better than those in the two other groups, the researchers found.

The brain images indicated that delayed exercise appeared to be associated with activity in the hippocampus—where learning and memory take place—whenever a participant answers a question correctly.

The experiment suggests that exercise isn’t just good for your health—it strengthens your memory as well.

• exercise
• Health & Wellness
• memory care