Memory loss is an issue many people believe they will only have to face when they are older. However, diseases like dementia can happen to anyone, while it happens very rarely to people at a young age, the choices you make at these formative years have a great impact on your mind. Studies have shown how people who eat too much processed foods, do not engage in social activities and many other unhealthy habits, increase their chances of dementia and other cognitive degenerative diseases.

Just as some choices can increase the chances, there are also habits that can decrease the chances of you getting these diseases.

One of the best ways to decrease your chances of cognitive decline at an early age is by incorporating healthy habits into your life, like eating more plant-based and unprocessed foods, fixing your sleeping habits as well as exercising

A new study published in the JAMA Network Open suggests that regularly riding a bicycle could be a key factor. Research published recently indicates that using a bike for getting around might reduce the risk of dementia by 19% and Alzheimer's disease by 22%.

How Cycling Helps Your Brain

The study also hinted that cycling might even help increase the size of a brain area crucial for memory. Experts explain that cycling is a moderately intense workout that also requires balance. This need for more complex brain activity, compared to simply walking, might be why it's more effective in lowering dementia risk. It's not just about adding exercise to your routine; it's about making active travel part of your daily life. Choosing to bike instead of drive for short trips can significantly contribute to your well-being.

Large Study Shows the Link

To reach these conclusions, researchers analyzed health data from almost 480,000 people in a long-term health study in the UK. Participants shared how they most often traveled, excluding commutes to and from work. Over an average of 13 years, more than 8,800 participants developed dementia, and nearly 4,000 developed Alzheimer’s.

The findings showed a lower risk for both dementia and Alzheimer’s among those who cycled or who combined cycling with other forms of travel like walking, driving, or public transportation. The research team noted that promoting active travel, especially cycling, could significantly benefit public health by offering an accessible and sustainable way to maintain brain health in middle-aged and older adults.

Cycling's Impact on Brain Structure and Genetics

Brain scans (MRIs) further supported the findings, showing that cycling was linked to a larger hippocampus, which is a part of the brain important for forming memories and learning.

However, the benefits of cycling seemed to be strongest for people without a specific genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's (the APOE E4 genetic variant). For these individuals, cycling was associated with a 26% lower risk of dementia and a 25% lower risk of Alzheimer's. The protective effect of cycling was less clear for those with the APOE E4 gene.

Interestingly, the study also hinted that driving a car offered some protection against dementia when compared to using public transportation like buses or subways. This suggests that even less active forms of travel might have some brain health benefits over passive modes.

Important Considerations and Future Advice

It's important to remember that this study observed a connection, but it doesn't directly prove that cycling causes healthy brain aging. Still, the message is clear: anything that gets you outdoors and active is beneficial for your brain. It's not just the physical movement, but also the balance and the way it engages different parts of your brain. If you're able to ride a bike, it's recommended. If not, walking is still highly encouraged. The key takeaway is to choose an active way to move your body whenever possible.

Your pelvic floor muscles do much more for your sexual health than most people realise. These deep muscles support the bladder, uterus, and bowel, but they also play a big part in pleasure, performance, and confidence during intimacy.

Whether you’re healing after childbirth, managing incontinence, or simply aiming to feel more connected with your body, training your pelvic floor is a natural way to improve sexual wellness.

What Is Pelvic Floor Exercise?

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Benefits of Pelvic Floor Exercise For Better Sexual Health

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5 Pelvic Floor Exercises to Boost Sexual Health

1. Kegel Exercises

• Squeeze the muscles you use to stop urinating.
• Hold for 5 seconds, then relax for 5 seconds.
• Repeat 10–15 times, two to three times daily.

2. Bridge Pose

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat.
• Lift your hips upward while tightening your glutes and pelvic muscles.
• Hold briefly, then lower down.

3. Deep SquatsHow to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Lower into a deep squat, keeping your chest lifted.
• Engage your pelvic muscles as you come back up.

4. Bird-Dog

• Begin on your hands and knees.
• Extend your right arm and left leg at the same time.
• Hold, then switch sides.

5. Pelvic Tilts

• Lie on your back with your knees bent.
• Flatten your lower back into the floor by tilting your pelvis upward.
• Hold for a few seconds, then relax.

Football, the world’s most popular sport, may come with an invisible cost: brain health. While players are celebrated for their stamina, skill, and longevity on the pitch, research shows that elite footballers are more likely to develop dementia and related neurodegenerative diseases later in life compared with the general population.

The main factor? Heading the ball.

The Swedish Study: What It Found

A major cohort study, published in The Lancet Public Health in 2023, followed 6,007 male footballers who had played in Sweden’s top division between 1924 and 2019. Their health outcomes were compared with 56,168 men from the general population.

• 8.9% of footballers were diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease versus 6.2% of controls.
• Footballers had a 1.46 times higher risk of developing these conditions.
• Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias were significantly higher among players, with a 62% increased risk.
• No increased risk was found for motor neuron disease.

Surprisingly, footballers had a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease.

But the most striking finding was the difference between player positions. Outfield players, who head the ball regularly, showed a 50% higher risk compared with the general population, while goalkeepers, who rarely head the ball, showed no significant increase in risk.

This position-based difference strongly suggests that repetitive head impacts, even those not causing concussions, play a central role in long-term brain health risks.

Confirming Earlier Evidence

These Swedish results echo a 2019 Scottish study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, which found that former professional footballers were 3.5 times more likely to die of neurodegenerative disease compared with controls. That study also highlighted that defenders, who head the ball most often, were at the greatest risk.

Together, these studies strengthen the link between heading the ball and higher dementia risk, adding to growing international concern about football’s long-term safety.

Also Read: 21-year-old Billy Vigar Of Chichester City Dies Of Sustaining Brain Injury

Why Football Differs From Other Sports

Sports like boxing, rugby, American football, and ice hockey are already well-known for head injury risks. However, football is unique because concussions are relatively rare (<0.1 events per 1,000 player-hours), yet players repeatedly use their heads to control and redirect the ball.

This creates frequent “sub-concussive impacts”, blows to the brain too mild to cause immediate symptoms but capable of triggering long-term neurodegenerative changes. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition linked to repeated head trauma, has already been identified in athletes from other collision sports. Football’s heading tradition may be creating similar risks.

Changing the Game: Calls for Action

• Recognizing these risks, football associations have started to act.
• In the UK, heading is restricted in children’s training sessions.
• UEFA has issued guidelines limiting headers in youth football.
• In England, rules now cap the number of high-force headers in training for adult professionals.

Experts, however, stress that these measures may not be enough. Tara Spires-Jones, professor of neurodegeneration at the University of Edinburgh, noted that the stark difference between outfield players and goalkeepers reinforces the link between head impacts and dementia. She emphasized that while sports and physical activity overall reduce dementia risk, avoiding repetitive head injury is crucial for brain protection.

Has Modern Football Changed the Risk?

One question remains: do today’s footballers face the same level of risk as those who played in the mid-20th century?

The Swedish study noted that most players diagnosed with neurodegenerative disease had careers before the 1970s. Since then, major changes have reshaped the sport:

• Leather balls, which absorbed water and became heavier, have been replaced by lighter synthetic ones.
• Training methods, tactics, and playstyles have evolved, potentially reducing—or even increasing—head trauma exposure.
• The modern game involves far more matches and intense training, meaning players may head the ball more frequently over a lifetime.
• Researchers caution that the long-term risks for today’s players remain uncertain, and ongoing monitoring is essential.

For people who suffer from migraines, even normal activities like concentrating on work, holding a conversation can be difficult. These are things we do not think twice about, however, simply going through these can be a major task for people who suffer with migraines.

So, what about exercising? It is an activity that requires a lot of movements, some of which require you to do movements that jerk your body like jumping jacks. Is it safe for people with migraines to work out? According to Dr Sudhir Kumar, a Hyderabad-based neurologist, the answer is yes.

Getting regular physical activity is hugely helpful for people who get migraines because it can often make your headaches happen less often and feel less painful when they do occur. While a super-hard, intense workout might seem like it would only make your head hurt more, exercising smart and making it a habit can be a very effective way to prevent future migraine attacks. However, there are some things you need to keep in mind before doing so.

How to Exercise Smartly to Prevent Migraines

To get the most benefit from working out and avoid accidentally causing a migraine, people need to be mindful of five simple rules:

Be Consistent, Not Extreme

It's the steady routine that pays off. Doing regular exercise at a medium effort level (moderate intensity) helps keep migraines away. On the flip side, sudden, super-tough, or "all-or-nothing" workouts—like running a marathon with no training—can shock your system and easily trigger an attack. The goal is to build a steady habit, like a morning walk or a bike ride a few times a week, rather than pushing yourself to exhaustion once a month.

Figure Out Your Personal Triggers

Everyone is different, and certain activities might be a trigger just for you. For instance, some people find that lifting very heavy weights causes a headache, while others get one from running outdoors on a very sunny day or simply forgetting to properly warm up their muscles. The best way to understand these unique headache causes is to keep a diary of your headaches and write down what you did right before the migraine started.

Watch the Clock (Timing Matters)

Doing a very intense workout right before bed, late in the evening, can make it hard for you to fall asleep or get good rest. Poor sleep is a well-known migraine trigger, so late-night intensity can create a double problem. To protect your sleep, it's generally best for migraine sufferers to plan their workouts for the morning or during the day.

Pick the Right Environment

Your surroundings can put stress on your senses. To avoid this sensory strain, choose a workout spot that is comfortable. Cool, well-aired rooms with soft lighting are much better than places that are hot, stuffy, or have bright, intense lights that can make your head ache worse.

Try Adding Mind-Body Activities

You can actually increase the headache-fighting power of your physical activity by adding calming practices. Things like yoga, deep breathing exercises, and mindfulness meditation are great because they help you manage stress and relax tight muscles in your neck and shoulders, both of which are common contributors to migraine pain.

Do Aerobic Exercises Help Migraines?

Dr. Sudhir explains that scientific research has repeatedly shown that regular aerobic exercise—that's any activity that gets your heart pumping, like brisk walking, cycling, or swimming—is highly effective. The recommendation is to aim for a moderate effort level, for about 30 to 40 minutes, three times a week. In fact, some studies suggest that doing this type of exercise consistently can reduce the frequency and severity of migraines just as well as certain preventive medications. The very best approach combines this steady cardio with gentle strengthening and stretching exercises for your neck and shoulders.