An Investigation into the Effects of Acute Exercise on Activities of Daily Living and Cognition in Older Adults

The benefits of regular exercise on cognitive functioning and performance of activities of daily living (ADLs) among older adults are well known. However, minimal research exists regarding the effects of acute exercise on cognition, and no research has investigated ADL performance after a single bout of exercise. To address this gap, the present study investigated the effect of an acute bout of exercise on executive functions, balance, and ADLs among healthy older adults. A total of 62 participants (48 women, 14 men, M_age = 75.58, SD = 8.66) were randomly assigned to a 20-min cycling exercise or sitting and watching a video. The acute exercise led to a slightly better performance on standing on one leg compared to the control group (p = 0.049). No significant difference in executive functions and other ADLs emerged between groups. These results suggest that 20 min of moderate cycling exercise seems to have immediate positive effects on balance among healthy older adults. However, performance on a medication task, the time up and go, hand grip strength, and the Stroop test were not affected by exercise. This pattern suggests that balance might be more sensitive to exercise, and that more chronic physical activity is necessary for improvements in other ADLs. More acute exercise studies are necessary to better understand the immediate benefits on balance, and those investigations should also consider other forms of exercise and control for cognitive fatigue. Trial registration number: NCT06085235. Date of Registration: October 13, 2023 (retrospectively registered).