Walking is one of the simplest forms of exercise because you can enjoy it at most all ages and its not hard to incorporate into your daily routine. You can take time to walk before or after work, or during your lunch break. Even walking around indoors while you do chores or talk on the phone can add steps to your daily total.
But theres more than just physical benefits. Researchers now indicate that walking and aerobic movement can boost your mental health by helping improve the connectivity within the circuits of your brain. Published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, the year-long study compared 70 previously sedentary participants aged 60 to 80 to an active control group. Results show that after 12 months, the group who initiated walking had improved memory, attention response and overall cognitive function.
Its that old concept; if you dont use it you lose it, said Lynn Millar, Ph.D., of the American College of Sports Medicine in a news report.