Everyone already knows that taking a healthy walk, especially in the morning, can keep your body fit and relieve stress. It turns out that the benefits of healthy walking are not only that. Recent research has revealed that healthy walking can also increase brain capacity related to memory.
Researchers revealed that a healthy walk three times a week can increase the capacity of a part of the brain called the hippocampus. This section is related to memory and is the first area to be damaged when humans are affected by Alzheimer's. Not only that, but the researchers also explained that this increase in brain capacity can make the brain younger by up to two years.
These results were obtained by researchers after observing 120 men and women aged 55 to 80 years. Participants were asked to take a walk for 40 minutes three times a week. Usually, the brain will shrink with age. However, this habit of walking causes the hippocampus to grow two per cent larger.
Unfortunately, this only applies to healthy walks. Doing sports that are quite heavy apparently cannot help the brain to develop. This is known to researchers after asking other participants to do strenuous exercise for one year. As a result, the hippocampus remained shrank by 1.5 per cent.
Lead researcher Dr Krik Erickson from the University of Pittsburgh explained that although healthy walks are not the only way to prevent brain disease, this method can be used to maintain brain health, especially the hippocampus. Dr Erickson also recommends that people combine light exercises such as healthy walking with games that sharpen the brain such as puzzles, chess, and others.
If you want your brain to be younger and healthier, and to increase its capacity, don't hesitate to get used to taking healthy walks every day. A psychologist from the University of Illinois, Alizabeth Stine-Morrow, explains that it's never too late to start. You can make changes to your brain health as early as possible by starting healthy habits from now on.
