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More Evidence about Benefits of Walking At the most recent meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Philadelphia, (, 2001) a study was reported out of the University of California at San Francisco reinforcing the idea that walking does more than benefit one's physical health. Neurologist Kristine Yaffee examined 6,000 women 65 years or older, and found a direct correlation between the amount senior women walked and measureable cognitive activity. The more the women walked, the less cognitive decline. Yaffee took education level, smoking and medical problems into consideration when comparing sedentary women with women who walked or climbed stairs. Scientists commenting on Yaffee's work speculate that the brain is a "lot more plastic" than previously thought. It is very likely, they conclude, that physical activity actually promotes connections between neurons and inspires growth of new neuron—even among the elderly. Most people have this experience on a concrete level. After spending several days in bed because of illness, most of us know that our brains just don't work as quickly as before the illness. While this be related to the nature of the illness just experienced, it is no doubt also related to lack of exercise. Likewise, most people experience a higher degree of alertness after something so simple as a quick walk. People who exercise over the lunch hour report feeling that they get two "mornings" each day. It be that the
benefits of walking are not only long term in terms of preventing cognitive
decline, but also have a more immediate impact on brain chemistry and
performance. If anyone is waiting for the conclusive piece of evidence
before starting to get more exercise, it's definitely not necessary. There
are sufficient numbers of these studies supporting the notion that it's
a very good idea to keep moving!
The Stress Manager
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