You already know you should exercise to improve overall health and prevent conditions like heart disease — the No. 1 killer in the U.S. But that same workout you begrudgingly pushed yourself to do could also tone your mental faculties and help ward off cognitive decline that disproportionately afflicts older adults.

A recent research review of 36 randomized controlled trials featuring adults older than 50 finds that not only aerobic exercise, but resistance training — like lifting weights — can boost brain power in this age group. That held even for participants with mild cognitive impairment, like memory problems — an important note given that, as researchers point out, previous research shows having MCI is associated with an increased risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia later.

The review “finds very positive evidence that undertaking a combination of aerobic and resistance training of at least moderate intensity is of benefit to the brain function of people over the age of 50,” writes Joe Northey, PhD candidate at the University of Canberra Research Institute of Sport and Exercise in Australia, in an email. Northey led the review published last month in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Click through the gallery for expert tips on how to maximize benefits from your workout.

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[See: Easy Ways to Protect Your Aging Brain.]

[See: The 10 Best Exercises You Can Do for the Rest of Your Life.]

[See: 6 Ways Obesity Can Weigh on the Brain.]

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Want to Flex Your Aging Brain? Do Aerobic Exercise and Resistance Training originally appeared on usnews.com