I thought of the same parallel when reading the post.
I've recently read Outlive for health advice. On its recommendation, I've taken up regularly walking with a loaded backpack of 20-30kg ("rucking").
The basis for this recommendation is that until recently, people would have been exposed to carrying weight in day to day life, but an increase in our daily convenience has reduced this more and more.
I can see that there would be benefits in doing the equivalent thing mentally as physically. "Rucking" for the mind.
Outlive also recommends mental exercises like learning an instrument or new language as potential ways to stave off neurodegeneration.