As several of my Power for Parkinson’s instructors are fond of repeating “Motion is the Lotion.”

As late as 2018, the society for Movement Disorders (or International Parkinson’s and Movement Disorder Society, to be more exact) had stated that there was insufficient evidence that exercise had any effect on the progression of the disease or its symptoms. (The exact reference can be found in an earlier post in which I included a presentation with references to studies linking the effects of music and dance as the best of the best forms of exercise (it goes without saying, however, that the best exercise is the one that you yourself find and enjoyable and reinforcing, and will therefore actually continue to do).)(Although I just said it, in contradiction to the previous sentence.)(Come to think of it, I should update that presentation with more current citations…)

Which brings us up to 2025, just seven years later, in which a review article concludes that:

“These findings provide strong evidence that exercise, even light intensity, benefits general cognition, memory and executive function across all populations, reinforcing exercise as an essential, inclusive recommendation for optimising cognitive health.” (Singh B, Bennett H, Miatke A, et al, Effectiveness of exercise for improving cognition, memory and executive function: a systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis, British Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 06 March 2025. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2024-108589

“Results 133 systematic reviews (2,724 RCTs and 258 279 participants) were included. Exercise significantly improved general cognition (SMD=0.42), memory (SMD=0.26) and executive function (SMD=0.24). Memory and executive function improvements from exercise were greater for children and adolescents than for adults and older adults. Those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder exhibited greater improvement in executive function than other populations. Effects were generally larger for low- and moderate-intensity interventions. Shorter interventions (1–3 months) and exergames (video games that require physical movement) had the largest effects on general cognition and memory. Findings remained statistically significant after excluding reviews rated as low and critically low quality.” (Emphasis added)

For the non-nerds out there, the review has also been been reported as Exercise of Any Kind Boosts Brain Power At Any Age in the Medical Express News by the University of South Australia.

In addition to several quotes from the lead author, Dr. Singh, the article mentioned Senior researcher Professor Carol Maher, who said exercise should be encouraged to boost cognitive health across all ages and fitness levels.

Cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disease are growing global health concerns, according to Professor Maher.

The review, which included over a quarter of a million subjects, presented compelling evidence that exercise should be integrated into health care and education settings to promote cognitive health.

Even small amounts of exercise can improve memory and brain function—especially for those at higher risk—means exercise should be included in clinical and public health guidelines.

You don’t maintain good cognitive health on a diet of hamburgers and diet soda, staying up late and sleeping until noon, one might conjecture. Riding around a golf course on a golf cart doesn’t exactly fit the description of the types of exercise reviewed in this study.

And, as fitting such an occasion, I’ll close out with a self-serving rendition of a “Parkinson’s Parody” of a song written by Christine McVie, originally. performed by Fleetwood Mac, and made even more famous by former President Bill Clinton’s campaign in the late 20th Century:

#Parkinson’s #PowerForParkinson’s #Reviews #Exercise #Cognitive #Memory #ExecutiveFunction #BenefitsOfExercise

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