The end result is that the participants who did aerobic exercise saw noticeable improvements in their brain health and memory after just six months of training three times a week. It’s never too late to improve your brain health, which is certainly good news for anyone striving for better shape.

As a PhD student and lead author on the study, Andrea Mendez Colmenares notes in a press release, she hopes her research will provide a better understanding of white matter aging and that people will consider lifestyle interventions to help themselves (and their brains) age help “so that they can live longer independently and with better cognition.”

While all types of workouts are important for different functions if you want to keep your brain healthy, this research suggests that your best bets are aerobic exercise (like running, rigorous walking, swimming, or cycling).