3425: Why Our Brains Need Us to Walk by Dr. Jenny Brockis on Benefits Of Walking

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[00:00:57] Delivery fees may apply apps. Check responses for accuracy. This is Optimal Health Daily. Why Our Brains Need Us to Walk by Dr. Jenny Brockis of Dr. Jenny Brockis.com. And I'm Dr. Neal Malik. Hey there, welcome back to Optimal Health Daily or welcome for the first time if you're new here. This is the podcast where I act as your very own personal narrator and read to you from some of the most popular health and fitness blogs online.

[00:01:21] And always with a bit of my commentary at the end. Now I'm going to keep this intro nice and short, so let's get right to today's post and start optimizing your life. Why Our Brains Need Us to Walk by Dr. Jenny Brockis of Dr. Jenny Brockis.com. I am currently reading Dr. John Rady's excellent book, Spark, How Exercise Will Improve the Performance of Your Brain.

[00:01:49] In his book, he describes clearly how exercise helps our brain in so many ways, like helping us to learn in the classroom, at school, and beyond. To manage stress and fend off anxiety and depression. Improving our ability to focus and pay attention. Stabilizing mood swings associated with hormonal change. And to remain cognitively fit as we age.

[00:02:12] Over the last couple of weeks, I've been ranting lately about our school reducing the amount of time allocated to its students for physical activity. From five sessions to just two over a six-day teaching cycle. This is because of the school's perception that the students would benefit more from having more classroom time with their teachers from year 11. This is the time when the pressure to do well in entrance exams, at the end of year 12, starts to build.

[00:02:40] If only the school had read Dr. Rady's book. Don't worry, I'm going to make sure that they get a copy. My good friend, David Beard, an exercise physiologist here in Perth, Australia, showed me an article published in the UWA Uniview magazine this week. Dr. Karen Martin, research assistant professor from the School of Population Health, discussed findings from her study where she looked at how the physical, social, and policy environments of a school are associated with physical activity of students.

[00:03:10] So, what were her overall findings? That a greater focus on physical education, or PE, delivered by trained teachers at school, in clubs, or at the local level, would bring a string of benefits, like improved concentration in class, better academic results, increased self-esteem, less absenteeism, and more attention to homework. It sounds like the answer to every teacher's prayer. My daughter's school is going to get a copy of this, too.

[00:03:40] Walking in middle age to protect our memory. New research published in the journal Neurology suggests that walking for at least 9 to 10 kilometers a week, or about 5.5 to just over 6 miles, will assist us in preserving our memory as we age. This happens by preventing the brain from shrinking. Brain shrinkage is normal. We all start losing brain volume beginning in our 20s, albeit at a very low rate of 0.2% per year.

[00:04:09] This shrinkage rate increases once we reach our 60s, and is faster still if we subsequently develop mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease. In this study, 299 middle-aged people were followed over a period of 14 years. They basically just had to record the number of blocks they walked each week. Brain scans performed 9 years later showed that those who regularly walked between 9 to 14 kilometers a week

[00:04:36] retained a greater amount of gray matter, like brain cells, than those who walked less. Walking further, interestingly, did not add any additional benefit. Four years later, cognitive tests showed that 40% of the participants had developed cognitive impairment or dementia, but those who had walked the most showed half the risk of developing memory problems. This suggests that a regular exercise program for everyone

[00:05:03] in his or her midlife may help to prevent the onset of dementia or Alzheimer's. So many times, the main excuse I hear from people who are yet to get around to exercise in any shape or form is that they're too busy. If the choice is between taking 30 minutes out of my day to exercise so that I can keep my brain working the way I want it to for as long as possible, or choosing to skip the exercise and just take the risk that memory impairment might hit earlier,

[00:05:33] I choose to get out there and walk. So, what's your choice? Scary stats from the States I'm always fascinated by what appear to be quirky stats, but these just blew me away. I wonder how Australians would compare to those in the US. 80,000 Americans were surveyed over a five-year period to determine how much time they spent in either sedentary, light, moderate, or vigorous activities on a daily basis. Are you ready for this?

[00:06:04] Only 5% of Americans reported doing any vigorous activity of any shape or form. Most reported spending their time doing sedentary activities. 95.6% were eating and drinking. 80% were watching TV. Of the light activities, 79% did washing, dressing, and personal grooming. 71% drove a car, truck, or motorbike. And the most frequently reported moderate activities included

[00:06:33] 26% involved in food and drink preparation. 10% were undertaking lawn, garden, and house plant care. And finally, those that engaged in some form of vigorous activity, only 2.2% used cardiovascular equipment, and 1.1% went running. Those statistics took my breath away. If you took a look at your average day, how would you compare to the average American?

[00:07:03] You just listened to the post titled, Why Our Brains Need Us to Walk, by Dr. Jenny Brockis of drjennybrockis.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary. When summer rolls around, I sweat just thinking about how heavy my clothes are. This year, I finally fixed that, thanks to Quince. They make high-quality essentials that look and feel amazing, with breathable linen and soft organic cotton, without the luxury markup. Their European linen pants and shirts are the perfect warm weather upgrade,

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[00:09:27] Dr. Neal Malik here for my commentary. Yes, those were very sobering statistics from the United States. Whenever I get asked about what's the best thing someone can do to protect their brains over the long term, I always say move more. Now that doesn't mean that this is the only behavior that should be incorporated into our lifestyles. But again, if I were asked to rank the behaviors, I would probably place physical activity at the top. Getting enough fruits, vegetables,

[00:09:55] and omega-3 fats also helps. Ditto adequate sleep. Keeping the brain active in other ways by reading, solving puzzles, staying connected with others, these all contribute to brain health too. So, the more of these we can incorporate into our lives on a regular basis, the healthier our brain will be as we age. Alright, that's it for today. I hope you have a great rest of your Tuesday. Thank you so much for listening and I'll be back here tomorrow as usual. So,

[00:10:25] I'll see you there where your optimal life awaits. let's do it. Let's do it. Thank you.