Category — Exercise

Interesting bit of news out today on a study on the relationship between aerobic exercise and our ability to become smarter or at least think faster. Of course the results are not conclusive, but other studies have been done apart from the one mentioned in this article to at least suggest a connection between the two.

Other recent studies provide some preliminary answers. In an experiment published in the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, 21 students at the University of Illinois were asked to memorize a string of letters and then pick them out from a list flashed at them. Then they were asked to do one of three things for 30 minutes — sit quietly, run on a treadmill or lift weights — before performing the letter test again. After an additional 30-minute cool down, they were tested once more. On subsequent days, the students returned to try the other two options. The students were noticeably quicker and more accurate on the retest after they ran compared with the other two options, and they continued to perform better when tested after the cool down. “There seems to be something different about aerobic exercise,” Charles Hillman, an associate professor in the department of kinesiology at the University of Illinois and an author of the study, says.

Similarly, in other work by scientists at the University of Illinois, elderly people were assigned a six-month program of either stretching exercises or brisk walking. The stretchers increased their flexibility but did not improve on tests of cognition. The brisk walkers did.

Read more here.

One major factor in a person failing miserably at a diet is the inability to sustain a regular regimen of daily exercise. The common excuse is that one is too busy to be able to focus on staying fit. While it may be preferable and more macho to go to the gym, lift weights, run on the treadmill and speed on the exercise cycle, there is a more simple and pleasant way to exercise: walk. There is a misperception that walking is not a good enough exercise and won’t do much for one’s body in staying fit. That is a completely false assumption to make and it would do you some good to get in 30 minutes a day of walking outside.

CNN says the following:

Walking is not just a weenie activity for the nonathletic, says Michelle Look, M.D., national medical consultant to the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk and a physician who specializes in sports medicine in San Diego, California: “It’s good for just about anybody, and the health benefits are particularly significant for women.”

The article goes on to list 8 healthy reasons why walking is important.  I try to get in at least 30 minutes a day of walking and several times a week I  do power walks of nearly 4 miles in one and a half hours. Bringing the iPhone and catching up on my podcasts and listening to music makes it for a more pleasant experience. And it does wonders in relaxing the mind and thinking about things you often don’t have time to think about. A good excuse to day dream.

I have found that walking for 30 minutes burns up an amount of roughly 90 calories. When eating just 1,200 calories a day, that goes a long way.

In case you aren’t convinced yet:

• http://www.coolwalking.com/benefits.html
• http://www.new-fitness.com/walking.html
• http://www.trivia-library.com/a/president-harry-s-truman-physical-description-and-behavior.htm