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How to Switch Sweat for Showers for Drivers on the Road

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showerbag-onegirltruckingYou’ve been on the road all day, finally pull into a much-needed rest stop where you plan to shower and clean up before dropping off a load. But the shower is broken or looks like might actually get you dirtier.

Maintaining good hygiene on the road can be difficult. That’s why Bethany from One Girl Trucking offers a few suggestions get rid of the grime. Step one is to be prepared.

“I keep a messenger bag as my go-to shower bag loaded up with all of my essentials in my truck at all times, so that I do not have to remember to throw a bag in the truck each week I go out or repack said bag because I will always forget something.”

As you know, not all rest stops are created equal. Petro and TA Truck Stops often receive high marks for shower quality. At these stops, drivers automatically receive two free towels and a bath mat. In her article, Bethany cautions against Love’s and Pilot/Flying J stations because they have significantly fewer showers available.

What can you do when no showers are available and you’re running short of time?

Bethany recommends:

“Keep facial wipes handy along with action wipes for quick, good smelling, adult-sized body wipes. Also, the best thing about these wipes are that they will not make you smell like a baby and they are perfect for a quick shower without having to use actual water.”

Have your own suggestions? Share them with us here, we’d love to hear from you!

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Pain in the Neck? 4 Simple Exercises to Help Truck Drivers

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As a truck driver, your body experiences strain as a result of having to sit so long. Often, your neck can be the most affected by these long rides with no movement. It hurts to swivel your head to monitor traffic. It gives you painful headaches.

Matt D’Aquino, The Healthy Trucker, writes of the neck-pain challenge and offers a few exercises to bring some relief.

Some simple stretches can quickly help lessen pain, especially if you do them on a regular basis (even you’re your neck isn’t hurting). Regular stretching helps prevent tightness from happening in the first place.

These following exercises, which target all directions, can be done for a few minutes every day outside of the cab for a much looser, more mobile neck.

  1. Turn your head left and stick your hand out at a 90 degree angle. Switch directions, and complete again.
  2. Pull your head down, hold for up to 30 seconds. Push your head up, again holding up to 30 seconds. Do so gently .
  3. Move your head slowly side to side and in circles.
  4. Place your hand on one side of your head, placing pressure, while also pushing your muscles in the opposite direction.

We hope these neck stretches will help make driving a bit more pain free. Have some useful stretches to share? Connect with us here and tell us!

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The Ultimate Guide for Truck Drivers to Maintain 3 Healthy Habits Over the Road

Download the complete guide for tips to easily maintain healthy habits over the road.

Download the Guide Now

Which is Better for You—Eating Right or Exercising?

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eating right or exercising

What’s more important—eating right or exercising? If you need to lose weight, you might think you need to exercise more often. However, as Mercola.com points out, this idea may actually be the obstacle that keeps you from succeeding in your Battle of the Bulge.

The website asserts that when it comes to weight loss, and keeping weight off, “you cannot out-exercise your mouth.”

Your diet surpasses the importance of exercise. Although, physical movement allows you to truly optimize your health and fitness.

Exercise proves to be as effective (or more) than many drug treatments for common health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and depression. So, exercise definitely plays a role in optimal health — it’s just not the central key for weight loss.

eating right or exercising

You cannot keep eating a junk food diet and simply exercise your way into smaller pants.

In addition, the article states that when and how much you eat influences your weight. Eating less and paying attention to the timing of your meals can move your metabolism in the right direction.

According to Shawn Talbott, Ph.D., a nutritional biochemist and former director of the University of Utah Nutrition Clinic, more than 700 weight loss studies confirm that eating healthier produces greater weight loss results than exercise.

“On average, people who dieted without exercising for 15 weeks lost 23 pounds; the exercisers lost only six over about 21 weeks. Therefore, it’s much easier to cut calories than to burn them off.”

Indeed, one of the simplest ways to improve your ability to burn fat as your primary fuel and lose weight is to replace all sodas and sweet beverages with pure water. Condiments and snacks are other categories that can be eliminated without risking nutritional deficits, thereby lowering your overall calorie consumption.

A recent international study confirmed that exercise was for the most part unrelated to weight loss.

The study also found that even sedentary behavior was not strongly linked to weight gain.

Also, Similar findings were made in 2012. A systematic review of studies found that, over time, people who exercised regularly wound up burning less energy than predicted based on their activity levels. This phenomenon is known as metabolic compensation. Also, they increased their overall calorie intake.

In addition, exercise only accounts for 10 to 30 percent of your overall energy expenditure each day. How many calories you burn in total each day primarily depends on your resting metabolic rate. On the flip side, you have full control over 100 percent of the energy (calories) you put into your body.

Even so, the article states, research does confirm that when you supplement a healthy diet with exercise, you’re typically rewarded with more sustained weight loss over the long term. Therefore, when it comes to answering the question between eating right or exercising, we have our answer.

Want to stay up to date on more great health and wellness tips? Follow Drive My Way on Facebook here.

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The Ultimate Guide for Truck Drivers to Maintain 3 Healthy Habits Over the Road

Download the complete guide for tips to easily maintain healthy habits over the road.

Download the Guide Now

5 Healthy Vacations Truckers Can Take In 2017

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If you’ve been thinking of taking a vacation for a while now, there’s no time like the present to actually take it. And if you planned well and have the money saved to board the plane right now, here are some great North American getaways highlighted by Men’s Health magazine that will have you salivating for your next dreamy getaway. Even better? You’ll improve your health while having the time of your life.

1. Rancho La Puerta, Mexico

With an organic farm, pools, hiking trails, and 32 acres of gardens, Rancho La Puerta’s 3,000-acre property is a veritable Mexican desert oasis.

Among the 60-plus classes and activities offered each week are interval training, weights, circuit work, spin, yoga and guided meditations. The resort even has a fitness concierge who can help you create a personalized workout schedule tailored to your needs.

“Rancho La Puerta is a great destination for individuals looking for a creative, interactive space for health and fitness needs,” says Brandon Mentore, an ACE-certified personal trainer. “The ability to plan and structure your own experience is great.”

2. Extreme Fitness Camp

If a trip to the Dominican Republic conjures images of frosty drinks and beachside sunbathing, think again. The Extreme Hotel in Cabarete—a solar-powered beachfront eco hotel that serves food straight from its organic farm—is all about holistic health and wellness.

Their fitness camps come designed to help you jumpstart a new workout regimen or recommit to your goals. In addition, they offer traditional fitness activities like strength training, yoga, kickboxing, and core, as well as more non-traditional ways to get your heart pumping. Think: salsa lessons, kite-surfing, and trapeze work (yes, really).

3. Mountain Trek, B.C.

Mountain Trek’s fitness-hiking vacation in British Columbia, Canada aims to help you gain strength, increase your metabolism, improve your sleep, lower your stress, and more—lofty goals, to be sure.

But, the 6-day immersive, science-based program covers its bases. The daily schedule includes several hours of Nordic Fitness Trekking, an evening fitness class, massage, gourmet dinner, and more.

The staff even turns off the Wi-Fi for 8 hours every night to give you time to decompress. In addition, each meal comes prepared without alcohol, caffeine, starch, sugar, and processed foods.

“Mountain Trek has one of the best balances of all the things you would look for in a health and wellness retreat,” Mentore says. The program manages to feel both like a spa vacation and structured workout camp. But beyond that, Mentore says the service and support provided by the staff helps you stay on motivated. “You’re not left to rough it out by yourself.”

4. Red Reflet Ranch

Red Reflet Ranch in Ten Sleep, Wyo., serves as the healthy vacation every country guy (or wannabe cowboy) dreams of. Fish, ride horses, zip around the ranch on ATVs, help herd cattle, or go skeet shooting.

Mentore says the ranch is an ideal option for people interested in a more naturalist approach to health and wellness. It offers “lots of outdoor activities and experiences that combine exploration, learning, and some physical demand,” he says.

To break a sweat, explore the gorgeous trails via mountain bike or hike in the nearby canyons. Or, paddleboard through the natural water park, or try rock climbing.

5. Golden Door

Golden Door is a tranquil Japanese-style resort in Escondido, California. It features 25 miles of private hiking trails, citrus groves, Japanese gardens, and bathhouses.

The resort’s week-long men’s program comes designed to help you “recharge your body, mind, and spirit.” In addition, it offers amenities such as daily massages, sessions with a personal trainer, and fitness classes. Also, it features personalized skin care treatments, a customized meal plan, cooking class, and nutrition education class.

“Many locations offer the opportunity to connect with professionals in fitness, wellness, yoga, and stress,” Klapow says, “but in this setting the plan is provided for you.” Which means all you do is show up and soak it in.

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The Ultimate Guide for Truck Drivers to Maintain 3 Healthy Habits Over the Road

Download the complete guide for tips to easily maintain healthy habits over the road.

Download the Guide Now

Does Your Back Ache? 5 Stretches to Help

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Does your back ache from sitting in the driver’s seat too long? Before it gets worse and you have to take time off to fix it, consider the advice of Matt D’Aquino of the Healthy Trucker blog.

Take advantage of the breaks in your day to complete some stretches and exercise. It will eliminate back pain and save money and time in the future. Plus, no equipment is required.

1. Place your hips behind your back and lean backwards.

Hold this for up to 10 seconds, and repeat 5 times to decompress spinal fluid that can build up.

2. Repeat the position but go forward.

This can help your hamstrings too.

3. Place your left hand on your left leg, and your right hand upwards.

Then, stretch your hand down as far as it can to relieve some of the muscles around the torso. Repeat on the other side. Do each set five times.

4. Place your hands on a flat surface shoulder-width apart.

Then, bring each knee toward the opposite side as high as it can go. Doing as many as possible can relieve and strengthen the gluten and surrounding areas.

We hope these back exercises will keep you on the road pain-free.

Do you have a favorite tip to share about how you stay pain free? Want to continue to get health tips to make your life better? Follow Drive My Way on social media here.

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The Ultimate Guide for Truck Drivers to Maintain 3 Healthy Habits Over the Road

Download the complete guide for tips to easily maintain healthy habits over the road.

Download the Guide Now

How Cats Improved One Woman’s Trucking Job

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petsmartcharities.orgAfter seven years, truck driver Karyn Marshall decided she refused to make the long journeys alone. Knowing depression affects truckers, Marshall stayed one step ahead of her mental health.

Her company, Amistad Freight Service Inc., actually encouraged pets.

So, Marshall began to look into pet adoption.

She went to PetSmart but wasn’t allowed to adopt the black cat who caught her attention. The staff learned she intended to travel with the cat in her truck and voiced concern.

Marshall told PetSmart in a later interview, “I was heartbroken… I’ve had many adopted cats throughout my life. But because my home was a truck, it wasn’t considered to be a good one. That really hurt.”

Luckily, PetSmart referred her to another adoption partner called Safe House Animal Rescue.

The shelter worked together to find the perfect cat for Marshall. They introduced her to Snickers and petsmartcharities.orgthe two shared an instant connection.

Snickers was pampered immediately by Marshall as she bought him a new bed, carrier, toys and food. She said he fit right into the truck from the moment he walked in.

Not long after, Snickers gained a friend when Marshall and a few other truckers came across an abandoned litter of kittens at a California truck stop.

Each of them took one or two and Marshall came back with two kittens which she named, Pebbles and BamBam.

Pebbles found another home with one of Marshall’s friends, but BamBam stuck around, soon becoming best friends with Snickers. “The only life he knows is in that truck,” Karyn said to PetsMart. “And he loves it. He’s like a little kid – very active, and all over that truck all the time.”

As they say, opposites attract and the two cats became quick friends. BamBam’s activeness was a balance to Snicker’s mellow nature.

petsmartcharities.orgThe addition of the two cats in Marshall’s life have added stability, relaxation and a portable alarm clock, since BamBam is an early bird.

“He’s the alarm clock,” said Marshall. “You do not go past 7 a.m. Eastern time — no matter what time zone you’re in – without feeding BamBam. He’ll meow, nibble my fingers, bite my nose – anything to get my attention.”

Marshall encourages all truck drivers to adopt a pet for the road, as long as their employer allows them.

She says both of her feline friends have enriched her life completely. Though she’s not against dogs, she asserts that cats make the best trucker pets, no constant stops for bathroom breaks.

“They’re quiet, they don’t bark and they want to be with you, they couldn’t care less about what’s going on outside. They want to be loved on and worshipped like they feel they are worthy of,” Marshall states.

Do you bring your pet on the road? Share a picture with us and follow us on Facebook to see how your fellow drivers live life on the road. 

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How Truckers Can Eat Like A Vegan (Without Becoming One)

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mensjournal.comMaybe you’ve considered a vegan diet, but can’t imagine life without burgers or steaks. Exercise physiologist Marco Borges — the trainer and lifestyle coach responsible for Jay Z and Beyoncé’s healthier eating habits — understands. In a great interview with Men’s Journal, he discussed the importance of meeting people where they are in their diet. That includes people with CDL trucking jobs.

Men’s Journal spoke with Borges in Miami at Seed Food and Wine, the largest plant-based, conscious-living fest in the country.

“This lifestyle affords people the health to be happy,” says Borges, and he stresses that it doesn’t mean you have to go all in, or not at all. Here, Borges shares doable tips to help you adopt a more plant-based lifestyle, no matter what you typically eat.

1. Start small.

If you want to deadlift 400 pounds, you don’t start with a fully loaded bar. The same philosophy applies to going vegan. “People say they want to go 100 percent,” says Borges, “but the moment you set up a platform of perfection, you set yourself up for failure.” Just as you’d slowly add weight week by week to hit that lift, Borges recommends starting small with a vegan diet. Incorporate one entirely plant-based meal to your diet once a day, and gradually grow to eat entirely plant-based one day a week — then two days, then three.

2. Think of your gut.

Plant-based diets are easier on the digestive system, Borges points out. And many studies have found they offer long-term rewards: Eating a vegan or predominantly plant-based diet is tied to less inflammation, a lower risk of diabetes, heart disease, and cholesterol, and lower blood pressure. On the flip side, eating a meat-based diet is connected with many serious illnesses, Borges says. “Studies have already shown a strong connection between animal-protein intake and increased colorectal cancer and heart disease.” What’s more, he adds that research also suggests “an increase in inflammation just one hour after a meal of meat, dairy, and eggs, which eventually causes a chronic inflammatory response that can impede the healing process.”

3. Boost fitness gains.

A common misconception to eating plant-based is that you won’t be fueled up for a hard workout. In fact, the exact opposite is true. Borges says that plants are easily digestible, and loaded with nutrients to provide instant, lasting energy to fuel exercise and beyond. This actually allows you to train harder and lift more. Borges recommends looking to beans, legumes, seeds, nuts, greens, and other plant-based sources for protein post-workout.

4. Know you’re burning more fat.

Eating a diet high in fiber boosts the metabolism, Borges says. That’s because dietary fiber, or roughage, is indigestible. (There are two types of fiber: soluble, which dissolves in water and can help lower blood sugar and cholesterol, and insoluble, which helps move things through the digestive tract.) Because the body can’t easily break down fiber, it works harder to process through the stomach, small and large intestines, and colon, thus helping you burn more overall calories.

5. Don’t sweat slip-ups.

“The moment we think we’ve failed or that our best wasn’t good enough, we give up,” says Borges. If you find that you ordered a turkey sandwich or burger at lunch with your buddies even though it was supposed to be a meat-free day, don’t beat yourself up about it. “Success comes in many different shapes and forms. It’s a feeling. When you believe that, that’s when you succeed,” he says. And that feeling may come from eating a more plant-based diet a few days a week, versus every one.

For more great tips, read the rest of the story here.

Do you have worthy health tips of your own? Join our community here and share them with us!

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The Ultimate Guide for Truck Drivers to Maintain 3 Healthy Habits Over the Road

Download the complete guide for tips to easily maintain healthy habits over the road.

Download the Guide Now

10 Easy Ways To Live a Fulfilling Life on the Road

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stayyounghealthy.comNo matter how hard you to try to relax, life’s stresses always have away of rising to the surface. Paying the bills, managing a family and staying on top of unexpected curve balls life throws our way  isn’t easy. But the website Stay Young & Healthy asserts that if we take the following steps, we’ll soon be on the road to lasting fulfillment. It’s worth a shot.

1. Always think positively

You know a positive mind keeps you always in good mood and makes you feel good. A positive way of thinking is better several times than a negative thought. So, try to keep your mind away from negative feelings and thoughts.

2. Earn enough money

I know that money is not everything for you, but it is essential to live a life. It is hard to say how much money you should earn, but your income should be so much that you can buy food to eat well, clothes to put on and have a house to live in.

3. Have regular workouts

You know a healthy body and mind is necessary to have a happy life, and having regular workouts is helpful. For a healthy body and mind, it is not necessary to do exercises of high intensity. Just run or go for a long morning or evening walk. Burn at least 100 calories a day by doing exercises.

4. Have a balanced diet

It is clear that you can have a healthy body and mind only through exercising and eating a balanced diet. Whatever you eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner, it must have all nutritional elements, including carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals.

5. Be in close contact with your spouse, family members and friends

You know loneliness can keep you away from happiness. So, it is good for you to keep close to your spouse, family members and friends. They will help you stay away from loneliness.

6. Watch funny and light programs

Watch funny programs on TV to keep yourself in a light mood. These funny and light programs make you laugh and this makes you feel good.

7. Enjoy the every moment of your present life

You should never look back into the past as it can affect badly your present. Just focus on your present and keep away from the bad happenings of the past. If you want to look into your past, do it only for learning lessons and not for having bad impact.

gratitude-web

8. Love the work you do

I know some of you are not satisfied with your current professional life. Always keep in mind that the professional life is filled with several ups and downs. So, you should not get worried when a bad time comes in your way. Do the work with joy and full dedication. Always love your current job and keep in mind that there could be a better job in the future.

9. Love yourself

You know no one is perfect in this world. Everyone wants to be perfect in one’s work and learn from one’s mistakes. So, it is good for you to accept who you are. Keep going on in the way of being perfect and be always ready to learn.

10. Express gratitude and kindness

OK, this is our own. But at Drive My Way, we have found that by feeling grateful for the little things in our lives and showing kindness toward others, we feel happier and more fulfilled. We’re betting you will, too. Connect with us here and become part of our community today!

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The Ultimate Guide for Truck Drivers to Maintain 3 Healthy Habits Over the Road

Download the complete guide for tips to easily maintain healthy habits over the road.

Download the Guide Now

8 Great Ab Exercises Drivers Can Do Truckside

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People with CDL driver jobs or owner operator trucking jobs spend  about 10 hours on the road every day. So finding time to exercise during the day isn’t easy. Fortunately, there’s one exercise truck drivers can do truckside. This exercise keeps them in shape even while they battle the 14-hour clock.

Planking strengthens your core, manages your weight and can be done virtually anywhere, raves the workout website Boldsky.com. “If you want flat abs in a very short span of time, planking serves as the best option,” the website says.

Check out these 8 great planking exercises to get started:

boldsky.com1. Straight Arm Plank:

Try the straight arm plank for building your deep inner core muscles and to improve the flexibility of your posterior muscles.

How To Do:

Step 1: Support your body weight using your hands and toes.

Step 2: Hands should be placed at shoulder-width and the back must be kept straight.

Step 3: Stay in this position for about 1 minute.

boldsky.com2. Forearm Plank:

Forearm planking increases the stability of the shoulders and targets your abdominal muscles.

How To Do:

Step 1: Place your forearms in the plank position after bending your elbows.

Step 2: You may also make your hands into fists. Keep your back straight and look at the floor.

Step 3: Lift your hips and thighs to a certain height and stay in this position for some time.

boldsky.com3. Side Plank:

Performing the side plank involves the hips, leg muscles and gluteus, hence these areas will also get toned, thus eventually removing the cellulite present there.

How To Do:

Step 1: Hold your body straight and lie on your side.

Step 2: Prop up on your lower elbow and raise your body, in such a way that only your elbow and lower foot are touching the floor.

Step 3: Stay in this position for some time and you may gradually increase the duration.

boldsky.com4. Push-Up Side Plank:

The push-up side plank is very similar to the side plank, but as the name suggests, you may also have to do some push-ups.

How To Do:

Step 1: Place your hands outside the shoulder position and perform a push-up.

Step 2: As you come up after a push-up, you have to twist to the side and shift your weight on the left side of the body. Lift your right arm towards the ceiling.

Step 3: For doing another push-up, twist to the side and lower the arm back to the floor.

Step 4: Alternate each side as you repeat the series.

boldsky.com5. Twisting Knee Plank:

The twisting knee plank targets three types of muscles – the abdominal, anterior deltoids and the erector spinae.

How To Do:

Step 1: Keep your hands and feet shoulder-width apart and get into the push-up position.

Step 2: Bend one of your knees in 90 degrees and bring it near your opposite elbow.

Step 3: Return to the first position and repeat the same with the other knee.

boldsky.com6: Elbow Lift Plank:

This workout engages your abs and the upper back muscles.

How To Do:

Step 1: Draw your left elbow upwards, after getting into a push-up position.

Step 2: Make sure that your arm is very close to your body as you bring it up.

Step 3: Finally, straighten your arm back to the floor and repeat with the other arm.

boldsky.com7. One-Legged Plank:

This is kind of plank that challenges your balance is also quite difficult to do initially.

How To Do:

Step 1: Get into your straight-arm plank position and lift your right leg up.

Step 2: Hold it in that position for sometime and bring it down.

Step 3: Then, repeat with the other leg.

boldsky.com8. Dolphin Plank:

This plank helps in strengthening the spine muscles and also improves the posture.

How To Do:

Step 1: Place your palms flat on the ground, in front of your head.

Step 2: Raise your hips towards the ceiling and your body should take the shape of a triangle.

Step 3: Remain in this position for a minute and exhale while your knees touch the ground.

Do you know of other great exercises to do truckside? Like us on Facebook here and tell us about them.

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The Ultimate Guide for Truck Drivers to Maintain 3 Healthy Habits Over the Road

Download the complete guide for tips to easily maintain healthy habits over the road.

Download the Guide Now

Brain training may stall dementia onset by 10 years, study shows

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A new study released this week gives renewed hope for treating dementia. Overall, the study, funded by the National Institute on Aging, found that older adults who completed exercises to improve the speed at which they processed visual information could cut by nearly half their likelihood of dementia over a 10-year period.

The study compared the effects of three types of brain training in a group of 2,802 cognitively healthy seniors.

The L.A. Times wrote about the study’s findings, saying the group that was given speed-based computerized training showed the most progress.

The group received computerized training designed to increase the speed at which the brain processes cues in a person’s field of vision.

Overall, speed of visual processing declines with age. This trend some neuroscientists attribute to the increasing “noise” in electrical communications between cells and among regions in the brain.

About 76 million baby boomers reach the age of maximum vulnerability to Alzheimer’s disease.

Overall, no treatment exists that alters or slows the progression of Alzheimer’s today. However, the new research suggests that “even years after administration, an inexpensive intervention without unwanted side effects might forestall dementia symptoms”.

Over the study’s 10-year follow-up, 14% of participants in the control group suffered significant cognitive decline or dementia. Compared to 11.4% in the memory-strategies training group, 11.7% in the reasoning-strategies training group, and 10.5% in the speed-of-processing group. Cognitive decline or dementia was less among those in the speed-of-processing group.

Statistically, the trial’s four groups experienced sizable differences in cognitive aging.

The cumulative risk of developing dementia over 10 years ranked 33% lower than for participants who got no training at all. The trial’s results are promising because the exercise that worked best in the study is available as the “Double Decision” game.

See what else the L.A. Times said about the study here.

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