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"Keeping your mind\u2014not just your body\u2014in shape is a topic we report on often here at Woman&amp;#039;s Day. That&amp;#039;s why I was very intrigued by the findings of two recent studies that examined just how much two factors, exercise and vitamin D, play into the risk of Alzheimer&amp;#039;s. Here&amp;#039;s what they found:  According to healthday.com, researchers analyzed data from more than 1,200 people and found that those who did the least amount of physical activity were 45 percent more likely to develop dementia than those who did the most exercise. What&amp;#039;s more, doing moderate to heavy amounts of exercise may reduce dementia risk by almost 40 percent. And as for vitamin D, a separate study of over 3,325 people found that the risk of cognitive impairment was 42 percent higher in people who were deficient in vitamin D, and 394 percent higher in those with severe vitamin D deficiency. Yikes!  Although Alzheimer&amp;#039;s and dementia aren&amp;#039;t exactly the most uplifting topics, I think the positive takeaway from this research is that these are two easy and inexpensive ways to possibly lower your risk of cognitive impairment. When it comes to exercise, you don&amp;#039;t have to join a gym or spend a lot of money, instead, buy some inexpensive exercise DVDs on amazon.com or try out the slew of free options at exercisetv.tv. For vitamin D, ask for a quick blood test at your next doctor&amp;#039;s appointment to find out what your levels are. If you are deficient (many women are, according to experts), your doc can recommend a supplement regimen for you to boost your vitamin D up to what it needs to be.  How do you keep your brain sharp?  \u2013 Abby Cuffey, Associate Health Editor "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/a44355/exercise-vitamin-d-alzheimers-risk-2459/>