A lot of people get into cognitive testing because of a specific disruption, such as a stroke, and want to monitor how effective recovery efforts are.
A new review of the research suggests that exercise is an effective stroke recovery effort. Not a surprising result, perhaps, but every new scientific confirmation of physical activity's benefits can provide a bit more motivation to get moving and hope for recovery.
Which kind of exercise is best? A mix of cardiovascular exercise and strength training yielded the biggest impact on cognitive recovery in this review. Here's a summary of the research from the American Heart Association.
Nobody is immune to disruptions to cognition, such as stroke. By having an ongoing record of your cognitive performance, you have a “normal” level of cognitive performance to maintain. If anything does happen, that data can help formulate specific recovery goals, and prove the personal effectiveness of recovery efforts such as exercise.