The New Habit Challenge: Take Daily Walking Breaks To Refresh

When most people think about mindfulness, they envision sitting quietly, perhaps in the lotus position, eyes closed and breathing deeply. While this is a truly effective way to practice mindfulness, it’s not the only way. Walking can provide a great platform for becoming more mindful, too!

A study started in 1989 with 299 elderly volunteers in the Pittsburgh area tracked mental acuity and exercise habits. The subjects’ brains were assessed by MRI two to three years later, and then again in 2008, when the first of two measurements of their cognitive function was also performed; the second of these took place four years after that.

The results, published in the journal Neurology, were sweeping and conclusive: Those who walked the most cut in half their risk of developing memory problems. The optimal exercise for cognitive health benefits, the researchers concluded, was to walk six to nine miles each week. That’s a mile to a mile and a half a day, without walking on Sundays…

As if you need another good reason to get out and breathe some fresh air, check out the image above. It shows the increase in brain activity that occurs after a short 20-minute walk.

Most of us are able to fit that in on our lunch break. It may be the difference between just getting through the rest of the day or performing at your best!