We can extrapolate and recognize that early humans, the hunters and gatherers, were far from the brutes portrayed by Hollywood, but highly intelligent, with better brains than now.
As someone who is writing creative fiction nearly everyday as part of my MFA requirements, I find that when I get stuck in my writing and unsure where to take my plot, I always find a fresh insight and creative possibilities while taking a walk. Afterwards I come back to my desk refreshed and ready to attack my writing with vigor and direction. Plus my body feels better too!
7
I've been walking an average of 12 miles a day for the past several decades, regardless of the weather wherever I am. Every step you take is like every breath you take. One plus the other is more than 3 in terms of the benefits you'll accrue. Even if you walk in circles!
4
@Guido that's over 26,000 steps a day! That's wild! What is your cholesterol and hba1c like?
1
@Peter G
Let's just put it this way: If I didn't walk that much daily, I'd probably explode.
Is this research saying we need to go on a 10-minute walk every 20 minutes of the day?
My mother walked constantly, and still developed severe dementia. In fact, restless and constant walking was one of the symptoms of her disease. She used to read constantly, too, but lost her ability to read adult books, then lost her ability to read. She wept about that. Maybe walking was a way to not think about it.
2
I love getting in short walks like this for 10 minutes it makes my day so much better.
6
Today’s particular column has some of the best and most entertaining comments I’ve seen in the Times.
3
a gentle stroll - sounds like we're moving towards the value of the Italian passeggiata (sunset stroll for village socialising) or the Chinese stroll after eating
7
Case in point: the gentle exercises - and meditation (see other article in today's NYT) in Tai Chi, practiced by many elderly.
4
And my two puppies listening patiently to my troubles during the walk and their adoring looks after - priceless.
17
Would 9 minutes be ok?
6
@Marjorie Summons So delightful to see you here, Marjorie. And of course we all want to know the answer to your question.
1
I think the title of this article is misleading, please don’t use the word “even” when talking about exercise.
Why this obsession in the NYT with the least amount of exercise?
5
@Josiah Lambert 'Why this obsession in the NYT with the least amount of exercise?'
to show anyone can do it - and overcome the fitness-industry spiels that we 'need' to pay for gym memberships - that evidence shows most then don't use
I do about 7 minutes a day- at home, in my pyjamas, before breakfast - see https://tinyurl.com/ywcxm4te
some have said to me 'that's no good - you need to do at least an hour'
to which I've replied - OK, when was the last time you did an hour ?
to which they've demurred 'oh - I usually do - I've just been busy - last month'
to which I've replied 'I reckon my 7 minutes a day beats your 1 hour you didn't do last month'
12
I'm guessing it takes me 10 minutes to walk to and from my bus stop, but in the morning I'm often running. I don't really want to go to work anymore and have no energy, so I have to force myself to go. Work has started to feel like a prison sentence for a crime I did not commit. Maybe it has always been that way, but after decades it has become almost unbearably tiresome, like a life sentence. I'm starting to think that capital punishment, execution by lethal injection, might be more humane.
Please, do not give people any ideas. They might decide to cancel their membership to the gym where they frantically work out together while watching tv or listening to deafening music...
Health, like everything else in life, must remain a commodity: if it's free, it's not worth it.
17
Even more benefit is the exercise regime done in outdoor in natural surroundings.
According to Ayurveda, our health relies on our harmony and balance with the elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether or space.
Nature allows us to remember we are more than “this body” and “this mind,” and that we are whole and connected.
Ayurveda says our health relies on our harmony and balance with the elements. Disconnect from nature is harmful. Nature, by its very essence is healing.
When we live in harmony with the earth, both the earth and its species thrive. When we see our relationship with nature as a symbiotic relationship, caring for the earth transforms our health and our happiness. The air we breathe is cleaner and the earth’s minerals and waters more nourishing.
I quote from CNN titled “Keeping you calm”
Some scientists and researchers also believe that because our eyes are at the peak of their perception to detect the wavelengths corresponding with the color green, the shade may calm us down.
With less strain to perceive the colors, our nervous system can relax when perceiving the tone”.
12
Used to be listening to Mozart was good for the brain.
I'll throw out the CDs and start walking because I really need a good brain.
How do you account for the fact that the Stable Genius doesn't believe in exercise and all he got as POTUS was pacing in front of huge rally crowds clapping his hands and pointing at people in the audience?
Sometimes I just don't know what to do or what to believe.
Maybe the best thing for your brain would be to go live in a cave, without any media.
10
@Roger Rather than add to our landfills, what about giving listening to your CDs while walking a try?
And as to the Stable Genius, what evidence exists that he was either? Someone can go a long way with inherited $$s and con man training. Without dad's $$s, he may well be destitute and scamming tourists in Central Park as we speak...
12
I am 85 and my father died at 65. I think I am still around because for a long time I used to run 3 or 4 miles a day.
13
@Clark Landrum my father died at 49 - but he had high blood pressure since his father died and he became the man of the house with 3 younger siblings when he was 10yo
I was sent to boarding school, where the only allowed escape afternoons was cross-country runs, which I did around a local golf course, about 3 miles every day at 15-17yo
I haven't been jogging for decades now since a knee injury stopped that
so when at a more recent health expo - 'test your lung capacity - blow into this tube' - the 2 attendants went 'wow - that's the most capacity we've seen!' - I was 'you're kidding' - they were 'no we're serious'
I was 'guess that cross-country running/jogging I did between 15-17yo helped then !'
2
" “It looks like people can improve their memories with a short walk or an easy session of something like yoga or tai chi.”"
Not so fast.
These are college students, not 70, 80, 0r 90 year olds.
I'm happy for this small young cohort.
But please don't leave readers with this generalized claim.
7
If this is true, then why aren’t all athletes geniuses?
17
You're stretching it here. In my experience at least a 20 minute or more walk is needed to get any noticeable benefit.
However, a 10 minute walk is better than vegging out.
5
I've always felt merely having a dog in one's life was good for the brain and the heart. The exercise part was simply icing on the canine cake.
How I miss our girl, our sweet, perfect chocolate lab.
55
This is exactly what I needed to read today. I felt instantly energized and encouraged to get out there and do SOMETHING, even if I don't feel up to my 40 minute walking routine.
21
Shame on the scientists and the IRB for approving this limited, ill-conceived research that used up valuable MRI time that could have benefitted people who needed scans.
All they've shown is that a group of young college students do better at *short-term picture recall* — a far cry from actual learning — AFTER doing some minor exercise in a study obviously designed to see if minor exercise makes a difference!
Dollars to donuts the participants concentrated more in the second part of the study, where they had just done some exercise. Research subjects often try to please their sponsors.
The writer also never presented the evidence or analyzed how much better they did. Often in such studies, the improvements are slight.
There was no control group. There should have been random assignment to different groups — treatment and control — and, then, a reversal, exercise or no exercise.
The research is also superfluous. We already know that exercise, even short spurts of it, improves cognition, and actual learning. No need to go through this nonsense.
The worst thingof all is the use of the MRI machines. Valuable medical equipment being used to indulge researchers' whims rather than do diagnostic work and care for patients.
5
@Marsha Pembroke
Universities have separate scanners that they use solely for research, by using MRI scanners for research, they learn not only how our brains work but how diseases happen. Your primary criticism is misguided
13
I am 64, physically pretty active, and overweight. For 20 years or so, I have done tai chi daily. During the pandemic, I took up more vigorous online hour long workouts. They were truly exhausting, wiping me out for a couple of hours after the workout. I also got a dog during the pandemic, and we walk an average of 5+ miles/day. I have stopped my vigorous workouts because I keep getting minor strains and injuries. Since we got a dog, I was shocked to see the top number in my blood pressure drop from about 125 to 105. The bottom number also reduced.
Right now, I am nursing one of those many muscle strain type injuries in my lower back, and I think I will not go back to those kinds of super vigorous workouts.
The taichi and related exercises have protected my back and joints all these years, so between that gentle exercise and my walking (OK and some setups and crunches) I think I will stick with a gentler routine.
21
@eric 'Since we got a dog, I was shocked to see the top number in my blood pressure drop from about 125 to 105'
I wonder how much of this drop might be related to that fuzzy feeling of calming relaxation and unconditional love humans tend to associate with dogs
to avoid this problem - https://www.theonion.com/single-woman-wonders-how-long-she-d-be-dead-in-apartmen-1848223814
3
I don't doubt that exercise improves thinking.
But since exercise tends to increase oxygen intake, it isn't clear to me whether oxygen intake alone suffices to cause this improvement, or whether other aspects of exercise are also necessary for this effect to occur.
7
This reminds me of "First Wive's Club", when Elise (played by Goldie Hawn) worked out on her exercise machine when she was trying to think.
I'd recommend getting an active dog, assuming no health prohibitions or physical handicaps, and walking said dog every day. A side benefit of this is that one usually meets other people while walking the dog, and it's an opportunity for social interaction, which is also helpful.
10
I have been doing Yoga for 50 years and have my best ideas when sitting in meditation.
10
I am very not exercise-y…I do walk and swim. I love this article because it validates my life’s habits and does not scold as do many articles that dictate or mandate long lengthy exercise routines in order to benefit from exercise.
20
@Lizzy I find there's a lot of elitism in exercise: "If you don't run two hours every day and lift weights, you're dead no matter what" (takes a long pull from bottle of vile-tasting exercise health juice while looking down nose).
It's an unfortunate attitude because it discourages people.
9
A civilization that holds a 10-minute walk to be a virtue is a civilization that does not deserve to exist - it is not a human civilization.
4
@Theodore 8-o Whuuuuhhht??? Um, the bulk of humans have gotten gobs of physical exercise for most of our existence. Sitting in an office chair all day before driving home and plopping down on the couch for six hours straight before getting into bed (rinse and repeat ad nauseum) is a new development.
6
@Theodore Dude, that's pretty harsh.
6
A society that turns work into a virtue is even more tiresome.
Very encouraging. As a senior I do a brisk walk every day. Especially during the Pandemic. While aging has adverse effects on so many bodily functions I can confidently confirm I detect no diminishing of brain power or function or memory. Frequent comments to the NYT also help cognitive acuity.
16
“Ten minutes of mild, almost languorous exercise can immediately alter how certain parts of the brain communicate and coordinate with one another and improve memory function…”
I’m here to report that it worked! This morning I went out for a run, and 5 minutes in I remembered with great clarity why I hate running!
64
@ChrisMas
Your mistake was in *running*. Try walking, instead. Lots of gain, practically no pain, if you are otherwise healthy.
In our community, the local running shoes/supplies store owner teaches his employees to respond with positivity when they encounter customers who self-disparage with "I'm only a walker" by saying, "Oh, that's fantastic, walking is great for you!"
Is the picture of a dog really necessary in an article about walking? Does it imply that we need a dog to walk or that only people that have a dog walk? Enough of making it look like as if no one would walk unless they have a dog or that "real" walking can only be achieved in the presence of a dog. Maybe the writer should realize that even people not owning a dog can have happy and healthy lives.
8
@Phil E. Not necessarily "necessary" but dogs are attention-getters. Hence the use of dogs in ads that have nothing to do with the product being marketed, such as banks, cars, pharmaceuticals, etc.
To your second point, I concede that it is possible that people not owning a dog can have happy, healthy lives BUT not likely. Studies have shown that the simple act of petting a dog can lower your blood pressure. My Yorkies were longtime volunteers at a nursing home. You should see the smiles of the residents, visiting family members and staff as we made or rounds each week.
22
@Phil E. I didn't notice the dog. Maybe I need another ten minutes.
24
@Phil E. Do I detect Doggie Envy? What's the matter? Live in a No Pets building?
7
Wonderful news for those of us in our dotage who regard the "languorous" exercise of walking as a pseudo-marathon. Speaking for myself, I can substantiate qualitatively all of the benefits cited in the article and add to them the bonus of a positively altered attitude.
Bravo to this study and to my fellow strollers.
20
Walking is one the best low-impact, moderate exercises you can do, for all of the body's systems, including brain function. When you can't get out and walk due to weather or environment, the Eastern Internal Arts such as Tai Chi and Qigong can provide a simple, quick alternative with all the same health benefits. I have found some good tips and techniques here https://abundantpeace_b0cb.gr8.com/
7
Here I sit on the couch, day #10 with a slowly healing sprained foot. 10 minutes of a pain free walk along my favorite path beside the Columbia River, beneath the yellowing cottonwoods, rustling with pheasants and flickers would do so much to get me through this long and worrisome day of 11/6/2018. Even reading about going for a walk helps, some. Thanks.
9
As a person who has had multiple concussions, I am proof that exercise is imperative for brain function. Not only does my brain benefit in a very obvious way from increased oxygen, but the coordination of walking helps restore balance. Exercises that cross the midline are particularly helpful. As soon after a concussion as I have the urge to move, I do. As long as I stop at the first hint of a headache, getting gentle exercise speeds my recovery.
6
Could they put the test subjects inside the MRI machine during the gentle exercise? I wonder if that stimulates the coordinated activity of the hippocampus.
1
is it possible that when someone is made to sit still on top of a stationary bike rather than doing a more natural activity like watching tv or having a conversation, this negatively affects their cognition?
3
I’m a senior with bad knees and overweight. Feel tired a lot but force myself to walk around the block with a cane. Some uphill too, and when I come home I’m awake and feeling better! Even the knees feel better..
36
My dog is happy!
15
So get to NYC ACC and get a dog. They are "putting down" sweet highly adoptable dogs daily - 7 days a week!!
22
@Kaari Not only are walks good, but walks with a dog are better. You get to know your neighborhood, neighbors, and their dogs!
5
I power walk thirty-five minutes 5 days a week. My own take is that memory and mental acuity have been enhanced by this form of regular exercise. Sharp enough to comment regularly in the NYT.
21
Leisure walking is a great exercise for mind, and body. I've done intense workouts in the past and been in great shape because of it. Then I stopped. All my joints started hurting. Then I started walking at a slow pace and felt great again. No need to walk fast or jog! Going out for a walk changes my mood, too. Perhaps this is the reason why people are getting dumber and nastier. It used to be people would walk everywhere: work, school, shopping, etc. Now everybody wants to park right near where they want to go. They get annoyed if they have to walk far in a parking lot. And the best years of my life were the ones I lived in New York City: I walked everywhere. Maybe this is the reason why most New Yorkers are friendly and happy even though they have to pay high rents. People in GA are always angry. They have to drive everywhere. That's how most cities in this this country are designed: for the benefit of the car industry. And of all the states where I've lived, GA has the most hostile and aggressive drivers. Walk! I'll keep playing the lottery so I can move back to NYC.
31
I am 72 and retired. About a week ago, I started walking daily for about 40 minutes each day.
I had become concerned that there were many days in a row where I hadn’t left the house. I was getting plenty of exercise at home as I have a room dedicated to exercise and quite a dvd collection that I use daily. Also, I am up and down the stairs constantly.
However, when I step outside, I lift my eyes to the sky - infinity.
I breathe the fresh air and I take note of the seasonal changes. I take my iPod with me but often don’t listen to it: I like to hear the birds and any other nature sounds along the way.
86
@Mary M.
True for me as well! Getting outdoors is so important.
12
I think we should interpret this to mean that sitting impairs learning and memory rather than that movement enhances it. Movement should be our default.
At least if we want to remember the shapes of trees. And we're young.
14
In such studies it is difficult to control for general arousal which leads to better performance in mental tests. A control group sitting bored out of their mind on a stationary bike may not be the best. A group that was sedentary but doing puzzles, or writing an essay would be better.
11
I was a volunteer dog walker for six years. At a minimum, twice a day, M-F, I walked two dogs, one after the other. Often I would return in the evenings or on weekends. The dogs lived about a mile from me.
10
We were not designed to be sedentary.
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@Dave Cushman
Excellent point!
Interesting study. I would love to see the results replicated in studies with older subjects.
12
How long did the positive results last? Was memory function still improved an hour later? a day later?
16
A friend and I have been walking our Detroit neighborhood every morning for the past 35 years. We used to do two miles, but now at 90 and 85, our route has shortened to 1.5. I have no doubt out daily routine contributes to our excellent health.
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@Barbara B
Wow, girl! You are my heroes.
44
@Barbara B
No doubt your long term friendship helps too!
6
Walking really helps me to feel healthier in all ways. I created my own program. Initially, I walked for 20 minutes, or so, but within weeks, I walked for longer periods of time...easily. All I can say is that this has become a wonderful way of life -- and I actually look forward to walking. Give it a try, stay with it, and maybe, you will have the same good results? My only suggestion is to invest in a good pair of walking shoes/sneakers. I also love to listen to music while walking. I now walk about two hours per day -- with joy -- and I also work full time. I watch a lot less tv -- and I feel better, am thinner, -- and look forward to walking. Good luck!
92
@Miche G
I also recommend listening to audiobooks, sometimes, you want to finish the chapter and take around another block.
I also recommend listening to audiobooks, sometimes, you want to finish the chapter and take around another block.
20
Older people are also chronically dehydrated for several reasons: thirst is a VERY LATE indicator of hydration in the older person. Many refuse adequate fluids because they don't want a weak bladder to impair their already diminished activity so - they deprive themselves of adequate fluid intake. Headache, depressed mood, dizziness and falling can all be attributed to dehydration that will NOT manifest as thirst - especially in cold weather. Men and women are equally affected since chronic prostatitis and lower urinary tract symptoms can derail the activity we'd otherwise embrace. It's vital that we DRINK 2 liters of fluid daily and make as many trips to the bathroom as are necessary. Better this than becoming syncopal, then septic from UTIs exacerbated by inadequate fluids.
58
@Elise Mann
2 liters? I do drink lots of fluids, but too much can wash the vitamins and minerals out of you system I read somewhere..
Advice from Mom - if you get up to p. in the night - drink water!
I do.
4
WHy children must sit still in class all day ? Schools work against biology. Start class so early when child needs sleep and csnn o move about to improve memory
36
@Sunny Day
You are 100% correct. For the life of me, I can't understand why teachers don't add more exercise to their class work. Before school, there should be recess and gym classes. During the school day, there should be constant exercise, especially when students are being asked to learn verbs for languages or numbers.
23
I hated gym class so passionately, I'd do whatever I could to be "punished" and excluded from idiotic team sports, and either benched, forced to write (boo hoo) or sent to run laps on my own. That was actually quite nice. I was finally released from gym when I had to wear a back brace. It didn't really help, I still look like Quasimodo, but it helped my morale a lot, even if I clonked around like the Tin Man in his armor all day.
I know that if I've been working at my desk for a while and then get up, take a walk through the building/do a couple of flights of stairs then I feel better and I feel smarter.
69
It's because desk jobs are so horribly tedious, I'd rather fall on the ice or get run over than keep sitting there all day every day.
Like other commentators, I was looking at the senior dog who, like my older dog, looked happy and well.
I would like to see a study where the (human) participants are over sixty and have varying levels of memory function. I'm skeptical that an older person who has moderate to severe cognitive damage can improve from light, or even heavy, exercise. Even young people with cognitive difficulties would probably not benefit either. More to the point would be to treat the widespread problem of nerve damage, very commonly caused by nutritional deficiencies, with a full range of b vitamins and magnesium, where real benefits can occur if this damage is even slightly reversed.
My dog eats really well and I think it's the main reason he's so healthy.
18
@JCam, so true. I have eaten very well my whole adult but was recently diagnosed with a B-12 deficiency and now take a sublingual supplement. A few days after beginning the supplement, I felt as though my brain came back online. I had been feeling unwell for some time and did not know what was wrong. Nutrition plays a huge part in brain health.
33
@JCam
Here's your proof: check out "The End of Alzheimer's: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline" by Dale Bredesen. Or at least google his published studies, they are open-source, or the Buck Institute. Diet/nutrition, plus exercise reverses cognitive decline in both early and late onset Alzheimer's.
8
@jjandtra, I worked in a nursing home and saw several people with dementia who were compulsive walkers. Walking does not reverse Alzheimers.
6
Thank you so much for illustrating this piece with a photo of a senior dog. My senior (16 yo) keeshond mix Billy (who looks a bit like the photo) still approaches every walk with gusto. Nothing beats a puppy for sheer cuteness, but seniors can bring love and joy and true dog-wisdom with a lot less work.
82
@Hillary Rettig I, too, noticed the senior dog in the photo because he looks like my 17-18 year old rescue dog. My dog now has congestive heart failure, deafness, failing vision, and severe food allergies. His personality really changed; he was not engaged with anything except his meals, which I cook from fresh ingredients. He only ate and slept. Last summer he developed a strong resistance to going out my back door to use my fenced in yard to go to the bathroom. His doctor told me to put him on a leash and go out the front door. He said he can absolutely no longer go on walks due to his heart condition. He said I can take him (leashed) to walk over and talk to a neighbor but that's it. Well, I decided to walk him very slowly only in my cup de sac. Wow, that seems to have dramatically changed him for the better. At first he only went to the bathroom. Now, he is interested in sniffing and exploring a bit. Instead of sleeping the whole time he now walks around the inside of my home for a couple of hours a day. So, it seems to me that the 7-10 slow walk in my cul de sac seems to have improved the condition of my senior dog. I hope it works for me too.
6
Walking the dog each morning is a integrating experience and a great morning exercise ... before or after our normal exercise routine. Works for me.
27
Anther reason that dogs are man's best friend!
Get a rescue dog and walk walk walk.
96
This study must have been done with a dog who actually WALKS. Mine only wants to sniff and piddle.
44
This is fabulous news for dog walkers!
20
Thanks for highlighting good news!
12
Those of you with walkers: do you really need them? I think seniors are being coerced to use them lest we fall.
1
@EK This is interesting to learn. For general aging problems, there are lots of things to do before going to a walker. I don't have balance problems at this point but I'm careful. What I do now to prevent falls is strength training in my legs (which ultimately helps prevent shuffling) and balance poses or exercises like standing on one leg. (I know from experience that I can restore my balance in a couple of days of one-legged standing.)
In dicey situations like ice, mud, uneven terrain, I use one or two trekking poles or even some kind of locally-available walking stick: nothing is going to ever keep me from using these kinds of walking aids.
Finally there's the habit of mindfully keeping one's eyes on the ground while walking: absolutely necessary in some places, but sometimes even in first-world cities when sidewalks might be buckling here or there due to a nice tree canopy (a recent fall, no serious repercussions, reminded me of that!) If you do this you can get a pretty decent pace going. The rule is: stop moving first before looking around.
35
@EK My mother has difficulty walking and uses a cane. But, she has fallen 3 times in the last 18 months. This happens when she feels unsteady. She has to call an ambulance for help to get up as both knees were replaced.
The doctor can't find anything specific that would be causing these falls. The doctor encouraged her to get a walker. She was very stubborn and refused to purchase one. I finally convinced her to buy one. It sat for a while (she is stubborn). After a couple of months, and another fall she started using it whenever she feels unsteady. She has been very lucky she has had no injuries due to the falls. Others are not so lucky. I've known far too many older women fall and break their hips. Life and mobility rarely returns to pre-injury levels.
Everyone is different and accidents do happen. Regardless of whether they need them or not, if using a walker makes them feel safer what's the harm? I would rather see folks have a walker, know when they need to use it AND work on balance and strength according to their ability than to experience life changing falls.
Society still looks at older people as less than. Information about how to maintain good mobility, among other aging issues, isn't addressed well. It needs to be.
39
@Grace Wow, I really agree with your comment about stopping before you look around. I am having some balance issues and recently noticed that when I walked down my driveway to the mailbox I noticed (through my peripheral vision) that my neighbor was in her yard. I wanted to acknowledge her but intuitively I stopped walking before I turned my head and spoke.
It brought back memories from 35 years ago of an experience I had with a friend in a restaurant with a wide and long flight of stairs one had to use to reach the dining room. After our meal I hugged the wall and used the hand railing to descend the stairs. He walked quickly down the MIDDLE of the steps while looking up at the ceiling and commenting on the architecture.
It made me dizzy and nervous just to SEE him do this. I've never forgotten it.
1
I wonder if 10 minutes of relative rest were what made the difference, in these hectic, over-stimulated times.
12
I'm impressed the students could take a test at all while being MIR'ed. I assume they had to remain perfectly still.
1
I find the result difficult to believe, maybe the test should be performed with older folks to validate the result.
1
A lot of these articles make me narrow my eyes in disbelief. What about the energy it takes the average American to get up from the couch, shuffle towards the kitchen, reach for a bag of Doritos, walk back, sit down, open the bag, eat its contents, all the while clicking on the remote? I don't see how a 10 minute stroll for healthy young adults is more difficult than that.
15
@NWwell I forgot to finish my thought - though I'd walked 6 miles yesterday - hm. If such a minute amount of activity led to noticeable improvment in cognition then we'd all be super geniuses. A ten minute walk to a healthy young adult is not even exercise. It's below the threshold I would consider physical activity. I don't know what the conclusion from all this is. I'm confident that being physically active is the single most important thing one can do for their health, physical and mental. Any amount is better than nothing. The more the better, up to a point. But I doubt that 10 minutes of, basically breathing, make you better than ...10 other minutes of, basically breathing. This makes no sense.
14
Well, it’s more beneficial than 10 minutes of not breathing!
1
Would like to have seen some non-author commentary. The time it would take between exercise and fmri, it seems to imply that any 10-minute exercise would matter for quite a while after exercise occurred. So if any subjects walked to the study building, they may also have residual effects!
I also wonder whether fmri, which measures oxygenated blood, has previously shown exercise or deep breathing differences? Does everything light up more when there is just more oxygen in the system in a sudden fashion? Would people in casinos with pumped-in oxygen be similar in effects? Finally, it would be great to rule out effects of arousal and things like excitation transfer. Right now it leaves open the possibility that showing horror movies might also lead to better memory for our young people, though that has less savory policy implications :)
10
@B.D. I have similar questions. I work in a creative field, and for many years my experience (and that of others I know) has been that ideas can be encouraged to arrive in two ways: (1) after aerobic exercise and (2) in a hot shower. I always thought it had something to do with oxygen. In neither case does the effect last more than an hour or so. That seems very different from "exercise to make your brain work better all day long." (Not that I'm arguing against exercise.) It would be helpful to have more details about how this study worked.
6
Now I understand why my kids are so smart! All they do is race around the house and yard the entire day!
46
Bizarre that there are people who do not walk 10 minutes a day. I guess I will have to continue with my kickboxing class if I want to stay sharp. Whatever helps...
12
@Karen B, not so bizarre if one is 77 with heart failure and very painful osteoarthritis. But worry not, I'm in the pool 4 or 5 days a week for far longer than 10 minutes. Probably takes me 10 minutes to get to the pool with my walker to park right next to steps into the pool.
My real point is think about others before you label their behavior bizarre, especially in these divisive days.
166
Many elderly people do not have much stamina or a safe place to walk with a walker, or because it is dangerous when the sidewalks are icy, wet, or snowy. Many people in American cities do not have a safe place to walk due to crime. Many children in suburbs are forbidden from playing outside by their parents because of overblown fears of abduction. There are many reasons other than moral failing for why people do what they do.
112
It’s possible to exercise at home using an exercise dvd for guidance. No special equipment required except the dvd player and the dvd. You tube also offers many options.
2
well, i walk on my treadmill about 30 mn/day about 2.2mph...i figure that's good enough
18
I gave my parents' treadmill away. I tried it, after they croaked, and it gave me dizzy spells. I was staggering around in circles when I got off.
Immediately thought of students who could use some exercise to combat rigor mortis. Get the blood circulating. Also, kids need a decent diet, otherwise the body screams out for help and then people often turn to substance abuse instead. Years ago, people ate home cooked meals and walked to school. Good food and exercise costs very little and we should access the free stuff. (Junk food and drugs are costly in many ways.)
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Um... Rigor mortis sets after you die. I think at that point it would be a bit late for exercise.
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@DH
Thanks for the chuckle. Why I read the comments!
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@Phyllis Mazik I remember walking to my neighborhood school in the AM, home for lunch and back to school and then home again in the PM. My grandmother had lunch ready, I ate quickly and headed back to play on the playground.
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This is so very encouraging. Now, PLEASE, drill this into the heads of educational policy makers, plaster it all over the walls in schools, and bring back recess and a minimum 10 minute break between periods in school! Kids are not robots. School is the perfect setting for these findings to be applied, and get the very benefit that the slashing of recess claims to strive for - better learning! Better scores! Better outcomes! Get those kids' bodies moving, to get their minds moving!
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A sound mind in a sound body
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