Unlocking Healthy Aging: The Power of Training Your Body And Mind Together

As we age, maintaining both physical strength and cognitive sharpness becomes increasingly vital for independence and quality of life. We think about training our bodies with exercise. We engage in activities to keep our minds sharp. But did you know that if you do both things together, it enhances both your physical and mental strength and agility? Talk about multi-tasking!

Emerging research suggests that combining resistance training with cognitive exercises can amplify benefits for brain health, mobility, and overall well-being. Let’s explore the science behind this powerful synergy and how you can incorporate it into your daily routine.

What is Combined Training?

Combined resistance and brain training training—also known as dual-task or multidomain training—integrates physical exercises that build muscle strength with activities that challenge the brain into a single session. This approach simultaneously engages the body and mind, creating a holistic workout that produces synergistic benefits surpassing those of physical or cognitive training alone.

This type of training is particularly important for older adults, as it addresses age-related declines in both mobility and cognition. By engaging multiple systems at once, you’re strengthening the brain-body connection and supporting your functional independence.

The Synergy: How It Benefits Both Brain and Body

The combination of cognitive engagement and resistance training creates a feedback loop in which your brain and body continuously challenge and reinforce each other, leading to enhanced overall function.

Why Combined Training Is Effective

• Improved Cognitive Function: Studies demonstrate that dual-task training enhances executive function, memory, and attention more effectively than isolated training. This type of training, which involves performing physical and cognitive tasks at the same time—such as walking while solving a puzzle—engages multiple brain regions simultaneously, improves neural efficiency, and mimics real-world multitasking scenarios. Dual-task training exercises have been shown to significantly improve cognition in older adults.

• Delayed Cognitive Decline: Research shows that dual-task training can slow cognitive aging and reduce dementia risk in older adults—something we’re all concerned about as we get older.

• Better Balance and Mobility: Dual-task interventions have been shown in studies to improve gait speed, balance, and fall prevention in older adults.

• Enhanced Neural Plasticity: Physical activity—particularly resistance training—increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which supports neural growth. Adding cognitive tasks amplifies this effect by engaging multiple brain regions simultaneously. When you engage in complex movement patterns while thinking through tasks, you’re strengthening neural connections that support learning, memory, and problem-solving skills.

• Increased Functional Independence: Dual-task training mimics real-life multitasking situations (e.g., walking while talking), helping you maintain independence in daily activities, thereby improving everyday functionality for older adults.

• Better Reaction Time: Multi-tasking with physical and cognitive components improves processing speed, allowing for faster decision-making in everyday situations.

Why Does This Work?

• Increased Neural Demand: Cognitive challenges during physical activity activate various brain regions and recruit additional neural pathways during movement, strengthening your brain-body connection.

• Dual-Task Processing: Participating in these disparate functions simultaneously activates both executive function networks (prefrontal cortex) and motor planning areas (cerebellum).

• Boosted Blood Flow: Exercise increases Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (a hormone that controls the effects of growth hormone in your body) and BDNF levels, thereby improving nutrient delivery to muscles and brain regions.

• Multi-Region Brain Activation: Combined training engages the hippocampus (memory), prefrontal cortex (decision-making), and motor cortex (movement). For instance, BDNF released during skeletal muscle contraction flows to the brain and activates multiple signaling pathways.

Special Considerations for Postmenopausal Women

Are you experiencing “brain fog” alongside physical changes during menopause? You’re not alone. As women transition through menopause, declining estrogen levels contribute to reduced muscle mass, increased risk of osteoporosis, and noticeable changes in cognitive function. Many women experience temporary but frustrating struggles with memory lapses, difficulty concentrating, and mental sluggishness. Research suggests that these hormonal changes may even accelerate cognitive decline in some women, particularly affecting verbal memory and processing speed.

The good news? Dual-task training offers a powerful solution that addresses both physical and cognitive challenges simultaneously. Physical activity, particularly resistance training, counteracts many menopause-related changes by improving bone density, muscle strength, and metabolic health. When combined with cognitive challenges, this training approach supports brain function by increasing blood flow to the brain, boosting levels of BDNF and engaging multiple brain regions critical for cognitive resilience.

While research specifically on postmenopausal women is still developing, one promising study found that a short-term multicomponent exercise program improved selective executive function tasks and global cognition. By incorporating dual-task training into your weekly routine, you’re not just maintaining physical strength and balance—you’re actively supporting your brain health. This proactive approach helps maintain independence and vitality while potentially reducing dementia risk, making it an investment in your long-term well-being.

Examples of Dual-Task Training for Older Adults

Here are some practical and accessible dual-task training exercises you can incorporate into your routine:

1. Sit-to-Stand with Cognitive Task

How To Do It: Sit on a chair with feet shoulder-width apart. Stand up while naming as many animals (e.g., dog breeds, striped animals, etc.) or items in a category as you can. Sit back down and repeat. Try to make them challenging to really make you think.

Why It Works: Improves your lower-body strength, balance, and cognitive flexibility by engaging memory and verbal fluency.

2. Step-Ups with Counting Backward

How To Do It: Step onto a sturdy platform or low step with one foot, then the other. Step back down while counting backward from a random number (e.g., 50). Alternate legs.

Why It Works: Enhances your balance, leg strength, and mental focus by combining physical exertion with numerical processing.

3. Walking with Word Recall

How To Do It: Walk at a comfortable pace while recalling words from a specific category (e.g., fruits, state capitals). Increase difficulty by walking on uneven terrain or adding light hand weights.

Why It Works: Improves your gait stability and cognitive recall while mimicking real-life multitasking scenarios.

4. Squats with Arm Movements

How To Do It: Perform a squat while lifting your arms overhead or making circular motions with your hands. Add complexity by spelling out words with your hand movements.

Why It Works: Strengthens your lower-body muscles while improving coordination and attention.

5. Balance Exercises with Mental Math

How To Do It: Stand on one leg while solving simple math problems (e.g., 7 + 5 – 3). Switch legs after each problem.

Why It Works: Enhances your proprioception (body awareness), balance, and problem-solving skills.

You can make these exercises even more challenging by working out with someone else and having them call out basic math problems, trivia, or creating another naming or identification challenge while you perform any kind of physical activity. Increase the challenge even further by engaging in a physical activity that requires more coordination than simply running on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike.

Practical Tips for Incorporating Dual-Task Training

Here are actionable ways to integrate resistance training with cognitive exercises into your routine:

1. Start Simple: Begin with basic exercises like sit-to-stands or step-ups paired with simple cognitive tasks (e.g., word recall). Gradually increase complexity as your confidence grows.

2. Use Everyday Activities: Incorporate dual-tasking into daily routines, such as balancing on one leg while brushing your teeth or counting backward during walks.

3. Consistency Over Intensity: Aim for 2–3 sessions per week of 20–30 minutes each to see improvements over time.

4. Modify for Comfort: Use chairs for support or perform seated versions of exercises if standing is difficult.

5. Engage Socially: Join group classes that integrate dual-task training or complex choreography. Exercise with a partner to make the experience more enjoyable.

Why This Matters

The science is clear: dual-task training creates a powerful synergy between physical and cognitive health that’s valuable for all older adults. By strategically combining resistance exercises with cognitive challenges, you’re not just building stronger muscles and bones—you’re cultivating a more resilient mind.

This approach addresses many of the challenges we face as we age: occasional mental sluggishness, increased fall risk, and concerns about long-term cognitive health. Rather than treating these as separate issues requiring separate solutions, dual-task training efficiently targets multiple systems at once.

What makes this approach truly transformative is its practicality. You don’t need expensive equipment or hours of extra time. By thoughtfully layering cognitive challenges onto physical movements you’re already doing, you create a more engaging, effective workout that pays dividends for your quality of life today and your health trajectory tomorrow.

Which aspect of dual-task training resonates most with your personal wellness goals—the physical benefits, the cognitive enhancement, or the efficiency of addressing both simultaneously?