Hoofin' it to grow your brain!
April 4th 2011 20:31
Exercise does for your brain what trading in your old PC for a speedy new model does for your output. You get a bigger, stronger, smarter network inside your noggin. Annoying glitches (forgetting your new neighbor's name, misplacing the electric bill) fade away. Information-processing (balancing the checkbook, planning that vacation) gets smoother. And here's the really cool part: You can get this mental upgrade just by taking regular walks.
Yep. A walk. Hoofin' it for just 40 minutes three times a week can increase your brain's memory-mastery center, the hippocampus, by 2 percent in a year. But stay on the couch, and this key region may shrink by 1.5 percent, adding to memory lapses and fuzzy thinking.
So go for the new brain cells! It can make a difference in your daily life. You'll have fewer errr ... ummm moments. The reason? Exercise increases levels of BDNF (that's brain-derived neurotrophic factor, for you science nerds), a "brain fertilizer" that helps you grow those new cells and encourages better memory formation.
You don't have to be a race-walker to get more brainpower. The people who got their brain's hippocampus measured (no, we don't know how) started out walking just 10 to 15 minutes at a stretch, slowly building up. We think 30 minutes every day is even better, by the way. And 10,000 steps a day (do buy a great pedometer, it's well worth it) has some magic in preventing type 2 diabetes. Now tie up those sneakers!
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