When talking about “brisk walking”, many people probably think of exercise techniques to boost metabolism or increasing walking speed when in a hurry. However, according to a study published on the JAMA Network Open website, brisk walking is discussed in terms of its anti-aging properties that not only help slow down aging but also delay brain degeneration. MRI brain scans of the participants showed that the group with slower walking behavior had less overall brain volume, thinner cerebral cortex, while the deep white matter volume was higher and small lesions, known as White Matter Lesions, were visible. So, what does this MRI finding mean? Let’s understand it together!
Did you know? Thinning of the cerebral cortex… a risk sign of “dementia”
The brain tissue is divided into two parts: “gray matter” located in the cortex, and “white matter” which is the deeper part. The gray matter consists of nerve cells that control vision, hearing, emotional perception, thinking, and memory. Therefore, the degeneration of gray matter leading to its reduction affects the onset of premature dementia. It is also found that the degeneration or death of brain tissue is a major factor commonly found in dementia patients, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
This aligns with a study published in Plos One, a scientific journal, which studied elderly people over 80 years old but with memory comparable to those aged 50-60. It was found that their gray matter was larger than others of the same age. Since the size of gray matter cannot be increased, it is believed that the degeneration process of this brain tissue is slowed down, resulting in less brain deterioration and maintaining brain function efficiency compared to the life expectancy of the sample group.
White Matter Lesion… what is it?
These small lesions can only be seen through MRI scans and are related to small vessel disease or arteriosclerosis in the small blood vessels of the brain. This increases the risk of blood vessel blockage. In simple terms, brisk walking helps reduce the risk of cerebral blood vessel blockage.
Another study found… walking speed affects body degeneration
Line Jee Hartmann Rasmussen, a researcher at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, wrote about a study tracking the health of 904 New Zealanders born in 1972-1973. The participants were followed from age 3 to 45, assessing health factors such as BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, IQ, memory, and learning. Comparing these with walking speed, it was found that the slowest walkers averaged 3.9 feet per second, and the fastest averaged 5.7 feet per second. The study showed that slower walkers exhibited more signs of organ degeneration across multiple systems, had more wrinkled faces and skin, and had smaller overall brain volume compared to peers who walked faster.
Want to practice brisk walking… how fast is just right?
Based on over 38 studies published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, it is recommended that people under 60 years old walk at a speed of more than 100 steps per minute, or approximately 4.3 kilometers per hour. So, is your current walking speed fast enough? Test yourself with these 3 steps.
Step 1: Place two pieces of tape on the floor about 6 meters apart, which is the distance used in the New Zealand study.
Step 2: Walk from tape point 1 to tape point 2 while timing how many seconds it takes to cover the 6 meters.
Step 3: Divide the distance by the time to calculate walking speed in meters per second, then convert that number to meters per hour.
Another simple way to test your walking speed is to count the number of steps you take in 10 seconds and multiply by 6 to estimate if you can walk more than 100 steps per minute as recommended by experts.
From many studies, it is understood that “brisk walking” not only stimulates metabolism and lowers blood cholesterol but also helps control blood pressure. This can slow down the degeneration of various organs, including the cardiovascular and nervous systems. It is a behavior that can be practiced regularly without needing a workout plan, costs nothing, and helps prevent many diseases.
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