A study just published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows a decline in memory as you get older is not only avoidable, it’s reversible.
People in their 60s were asked to walked around a track for 40 minutes a day, three days a week. In one year, the size of their hippocampus (the part of the brain responsible for memory) increased by 2%. This is the equivalent of turning the clock back two years in terms of brain age. The control group had a decrease in volume by 1.4%, consistent with the decrease seen in normal aging.
A walking routine sounds easy, but in the age of motors and desks, walking is one of those things we rarely do for extended periods of time. If the idea of walking for forty minutes tests your patience, check out our Zen-inspired guide on How to Take a Walk.
While you’re waiting for the results to kick in though, here’s some advice about memory:
- How to Improve Your Memory
- How to Find Lost Objects
- How to Remember Lists of Words With the Roman Room Trick
- How to Remember Lists of Words with the Memory Trick
- Share this on Twitter:
I do a lot of walking and standing! At my part-time job I walk around the store constantly fixing items on the shelves, and loading the beer cooler, which is always being emptied by customers. I also sweep and mop, lots of walking there. I also have to stand at the register for hours at a time. My mind is always active. At home I'm on the computer and blogging and sending emails and reading news items. So the old mind is working, but you know what? When I get to the grocery store, if I don't have it written down, I sometimes forget what I'm there for! Duh! I must be getting old! :=()
