When it comes to staying sharper longer, a Massachusetts expert said it’s about much more than getting physical exercise. Dr. Peter Wayne, director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Mass General Brigham, said practices like Tai Chi have been shown to have a major impact on cognitive health. “You’re getting the mental training, you’re getting the focus, you’re getting the relaxation,” he said. “We know that stress is taxing on the brain and you get the interaction with the social group. And we know staying socially active is very important for your mental health.”Wayne said Tai Chi has been proven to improve brain health in as little as 12 weeks. That’s because it combines focus with movement, which can improve brain health now and down the road. Especially by reducing stress, which is linked to chronic inflammation. “Chronic inflammation is not only bad for your joints and your muscles, but it impacts the brain, which then has impacts on our ability to focus and memory and other factors,” Wayne said. He added that using movement like Tai Chi is deceptively simple. “We know that in Chinese medicine, in holistic medicine, the metaphor of a rolling stone gathers no moss,” he said. “A flowing river doesn’t let algae build up. Tai Chi is like meditation in motion. Sometimes people call it a medication in motion.”

BOSTON —

When it comes to staying sharper longer, a Massachusetts expert said it’s about much more than getting physical exercise.

Dr. Peter Wayne, director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Mass General Brigham, said practices like Tai Chi have been shown to have a major impact on cognitive health.

“You’re getting the mental training, you’re getting the focus, you’re getting the relaxation,” he said. “We know that stress is taxing on the brain and you get the interaction with the social group. And we know staying socially active is very important for your mental health.”

Wayne said Tai Chi has been proven to improve brain health in as little as 12 weeks.

That’s because it combines focus with movement, which can improve brain health now and down the road. Especially by reducing stress, which is linked to chronic inflammation.

“Chronic inflammation is not only bad for your joints and your muscles, but it impacts the brain, which then has impacts on our ability to focus and memory and other factors,” Wayne said.

He added that using movement like Tai Chi is deceptively simple.

“We know that in Chinese medicine, in holistic medicine, the metaphor of a rolling stone gathers no moss,” he said. “A flowing river doesn’t let algae build up. Tai Chi is like meditation in motion. Sometimes people call it a medication in motion.”