My husband was diagnosed 5 years ago with Alzheimer's. He has changed very little, could it be because he exercises 3 to 4 hours a day?

Lizzyo be sure to thank the Lord for this Blessing which has been bestowed upon Your dear Husband. You know the older a Person is the faster Alzheimers acts, where as the younger One is the slower it is. I can not think of a more correct word hence I put in (acts) Scholars please correct me.
My Mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at 83 years & 8 months, and died at 87 years & 2 months. Three years and six months, but I reckon Mom had the disease much longer but I never picked up on It.
The fact that Your Husband began excercising and doing weight training has
to be a big help. Be sure to get that MRI done even is you need to pay for It Yourself, and encourage Your Husband to keep up with the training.
Good Luck Lizzyo and be sure to come back to let All of know how Your Husband is getting on.

I think medical science knows very little about the brain in general. All they DO know is what they can see with empirical evidence; the rest is guesswork. If your husband has had little to no change in his AD symptoms in 5 years, it could very well be due to his rigorous exercise program! Who's to say otherwise? And who knows? In the next few years, all the medical experts could wind up saying that exercise is the cure for Alzheimer's!!

Don't fix what isn't broken. Kudos to DH for taking care of himself this way.

Wishing you all the best

Its been 5 yrs. Don't see why insurance wouldn't cover another MRI. As long as a doctor orders it.

I would think that you are right! His exercising could very possibly be at least the major reason for why his dementia is on hold.

He should keep up the excellent level of activity. And this is a great lesson to everyone - get active and stay active!!!

I have no insight to offer in connection with Alz, but I do applaud your husband for his very active lifestyle, and for taking control of his life.    Remaining in charge and working out for a healthy lifestyle is I think the an excellent way to age, and although I have no documentation to cite, I do recall reading somewhere that exercise stimulates the brain.   

I know that it motivates me, and gives me more energy.    Just don't work out before bedtime.

And it also gives him something to look forward to, a very worthwhile goal.  That's important in and of itself. 

Congratulations to your husband for taking control of his life.

I think that your best bet right now would be to seek a complete neuropsych work-out. These usually consist of paper and pencil testing (much more informative than a mini mental), a geripsych exam and a neurological exam. Very often an MRI is requested.

We got this level of exam for my mother completely paid for my Medicare, with regular followups.

If you have a university hospital near you, that might be a place to start.