The Benefits of Walking

Even these gnomes are smart enough to get their daily constitutional!

Here is another article from the Posit Science Brain Fitness newsletter (see this past Friday's post). I will admit that I do not get out for a walk everyday in the winter. I'd like to, but sometimes it's just too darn cold and at times treacherous to venture out. I do aerobics/free weights two to three times a week though. With spring approaching, I'm looking forward to getting out once again for a daily jaunt. Besides benefiting the brain, walking can help to lower LDL ('bad' cholesterol), raise HDL ('good' cholesterol), lower blood pressure, manage type-2 diabetes, manage weight and improve our mood! (Mayo Clinic)

Walking for a heftier hippocampus....A new study on adults 55+ showed that regular aerobic activity—in this case, walking around a track three times a week for 40 minutes—increased the size of the hippocampus, a brain structure associated with memory and reasoning. They did better on memory tests, too. The adults who participated in the study were recovering couch potatoes, suggesting that it's never too late to gain brain benefits from exercise. The full article is here.