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MARQUETTE -- A few hours a week at the gym gets your heart pumping and your muscles toned.

Marquette resident Jerry Harju has been working out for three years.  He originally hit the gym to improve his balance, but now his regular training seems to be exercising his mind as well.

"I used to worry about memory lapses from time to time, but that comes with old age, but I think it can be reversed if you just take care of yourself, and I think that's what is happening," says Harju.

And Jerry isn't the only one who's noticed improvement with his memory.  New studies released by the National Institute on Aging say moderate aerobic exercise in older adults can improve memory loss.

"The better the shape you're in, the more active you are, the more you use your brain, the better off you're going to be as far as continuing to be able to function.  I think exercising, along with other components, are important to people aging and doing the appropriate thing," explains Dr. John Lehtinen.

So what kinds of exercises should seniors be doing?

"Basically, we try to include a little bit of everything.  We work on strength training with them to improve their strength, cardiovascular conditioning.  We definitely want to work on balance, things like that that would help them in everyday life and also flexibility to make sure they're flexible to decrease their risk of injuring or pulling a muscle.  That type of thing," describes personal trainer Jen Byma.

While anyone can work out, Byma suggests starting slow to build a routine and prevent injuries.