The standard accepted wisdom is that most people only use about 10% of their brain’s capacity.  Rush Limbaugh jokes about working while having half his brain tied behind his back.  Truth is, no matter how much of your brain you do use, you’ll use it better if the rest of you from the neck south is in better shape.According to a UPI report, University of Illinois researchers looked at brain images from 128 adults between the ages of 59 and 80. Participants also filled out surveys about their physical fitness levels. Brain scans showed that higher levels of fitness and physical activity led to increased levels of brain activity while doing multiple tasks.

Researchers say they looked at dual-tasks specifically because it's a measure of executive function and that as people age, executive function declines.  What they discovered was with higher cardio-respiratory fitness, you can enhance executive function performance.

Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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The bottom line - results suggest we can improve our brain health by changing our lifestyle even as we age. (UPI)

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