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We learned to walk since we were small children. It’s fun and walking becomes a part of lives. However, due to advancements in transportation and even technologies like television, computers, and even smartphones, we tend to walk less.
Moreover, today’s workforce becomes less involved in physical movements. Just visit any corporate environment, and you’ll notice the majority of people are sitting most of their time.
While it may seem a good development, becoming less active physically has unhealthy consequences. In a study says that not doing exercise for ten days result in less blood flow to the brain.
Among the adverse consequences of not getting involved in physical activity is mental problems. Fortunately, doing even the necessary movement like regular walking can turn back the hands of time particularly in adults.
Walking Turn Back Adult Brains 9 Years Younger
A recent study1 finds that walking and moderate exercises may be able to restore adult brains who have declining mental sharpness.
Older adults with thinking and memory skills were the primary focus of this study. The good news, it’s not too late and chances one may be able to restore mental sharpness.
In this study, researchers found that in just six months of doing moderate exercises like walking, pedaling a stationary bike have positive benefits on the subjects with declining mental sharpness.
More specifically, the moderate exercises show improvement in executive function. It is a function of the brain responsible for behavior regulation, paying attention and achieving goals.
Moreover, combining moderate exercise with healthy dietary changes show even better results. Subjects who decided to shift towards healthy dietary changes like increasing fruits and vegetable intake have the most benefits.
James Blumenthal, lead author of the study and professor of Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C. says the benefit is equivalent to turning the brain’s age nine years younger.
On the other hand, those individuals with similar mental problems given health education only continue to have a declining mental condition.
Experts agree the findings on this study support the general idea on the benefit of healthy lifestyle practices on the aging brain.
How Much Walking or Moderate Exercise Is Good Enough?
So, you might think it involves a lot of time walking and pedaling the stationary bike. Well, it’s not, and with the time the researchers suggests, anyone can do it.
The subjects were not training for race or marathon and not even exercising every day. During the study, the individuals did 35 minutes of walking or pedaling a stationary bike plus a 10-minute warm-up.
It is doable for anyone. Also, another study has shown that exercise is a good memory booster. And, for older adults, regular physical activity can improve and maintain motor skills.
Final Thoughts
The study, although only involve a small number of subjects proves that exercise is vital for brain health. But that’s not all, regular exercise has other health benefits.
Moreover, walking is a straightforward exercise. It is a simple movement that people do since childhood. So, why not utilize it for better health?
On the other hand, the led researcher want to find out more about the positive effects. Hence, He suggests that more extensive studies in the future are necessary.
Moreover, this is not the first study to prove that exercise is beneficial for the brain. An earlier study in 2010 has similar findings calling walking as a wonder drug for the brain.