Australian researchers have proven that walking can help the memory, and possibly even delay the onset of dementia.

The study, undertaken at the University of Western Australia, involved 138 people over 50 who felt they already had some memory problems. They were divided into two groups. The first group increased their exercise levels for 6 months, with all participants walking or doing similar, moderate exercise for 50 minutes, three times a week. The second group were asked to do no exercise.
 

And as you can probably guess, the group that did have the increased amount of exercise showed the most positive results on the memory tests. They performed better on cognitive tasks and had superior delayed recall than the other group.

It is also interesting to note that the improved memory occurred not only during the trial, but also for the following 12 months.

"What our trial tells us is that older people who take up some form of aerobic exercise for as little as 20 minutes a day will be more likely to remember things like shopping lists, family birthdays and friends' names," said study author Prof. Leon Flicker of the Western Australian Institute for Health and Aging.

"What's interesting about this study is that physical activity doesn't just have benefits for memory and preventing Alzheimer's disease, it highlights the importance of exercise to boost overall well-being and mental health."

20 minutes of brisk walking per day is such an achievable target, and it’s nice to know that by doing this, you could be delaying the onset of memory problems such as dementia. It is a disease that takes a heavy emotional toll on people, especially for those around them.

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