Study: Walking Is a Brain Exercise Too

In a recent Time article, a study published in Neurology has found that walking may improve memory in old age. The researchers tracked the physical activity of 299 healthy men and women with an average age of 78. Their activity ranged from walking 0 blocks to 300 blocks per week. Nine years later, the participants underwent brain scans and those that walked more had more brain mass than those who had walked less. Four years after this, the volunteers were tested for dementia. 116 people from the group had shown signs of dementia, but those who had walked about 7 miles per week (72 city blocks) had half the cognitive issues than those who had walked the least.