Page 28 - Seniors Today Magazine April 2024
P. 28
Fitness
5 ways that walking perks
up your brain
Your daily walk is building your brain as well, here’s how, writes the Seniors Today
Team
“It is a shame for a man to grow old without neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, that is key to
seeing the beauty and strength of which his the survival of existing brain neurons and
body is capable.” – said Socrates; and we the generation of new ones. “Perhaps the
absolutely agree! The benefits of walking most exciting finding is that aerobic forms
for seniors are phenomenal. New studies of exercise [including walking] likely help
reveal that you can trigger neurogenesis by facilitate the growth of new neurons,” says
just walking. Here’s how: a study at the University of North Carolina
1. Walking may help you grow new brain 2. Walking may boost your creativity.
cells. Walking increases the flow of oxygen and
Moderately paced walks stimulate the nutrients to the brain, which can open the
release of a protein called brain-derived gates to enhanced creativity. The brain
uses “about three times as much oxygen
for healthy neuron function as muscles
do” and is extremely sensitive to decreases
in oxygen levels, according to Advanced
Neurotherapy, a neurofeedback wellness
clinic in Needham, Massachusetts.
Creativity is a cognitive skill that is part
of problem-solving. Studies show that the
simple act of getting up from your desk
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