Walking To Improve Memory

Data:  Weight-Coinage-GPS

Weight = 178.0 lbs, survived the great food provided by Ben and Helga in Vienna, VA

Coinage found = $2.93, worked hard to break the $3.00 barrier to no avail

GPS Data:  mileage = 4.20; calories consumed = 426; fastest mile =17’3”

Feature:  Forgetting to Remember

The MoneyWalker is enjoying the new football season.  My four favorite teams are a collective 14-0.  But when the last step is taken, do wins and losses really matter?  They do if I can’t remember the names of the teams—Texas Tech, LSU, Ole Miss and the NO Saints.  Not remembering the name of Drew Brees matters.  If the recall problem is brief, probably not a problem.  The brain is an organ, and like all organs there are “age related changes in memory,” and those of us past 50 are on the wrong side of history in terms of the brain's great gifts including memory and problem solving.

These senior moments can be embarrassing but what we fear is memory loss escalation—Amnestic MCI or mild cognitive impairment, dementia, or debilitating Alzheimer’s Disease.  So, when we began to experience memory loss are we on a slippery slope to Alzheimer’s?  Not necessarily, there are many tactics available for those following responsible aging strategies.  See Jancee Dunn’s excellent and highly readable article “7 tricks to improve your memory.”  (http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/09/14/7-tricks-to-improve-your-memory/#ixzz2esJwpZ94). 

Technique # 7 is “Hit the gym.”  One of the nation’s hot bed for neuroscience research is U. of Cal at Irvine.  They had a group of older subjects ride a stationary bike for six minutes while a control group engaged in “typical” activities.  After several weeks, the active group scored significantly better on a memory test.  Your humble walker with colleague Mark Loftin found similar results with college aged subjects engaged in bike riding when compared to control subjects at rest. We call the improvement exercise activation. The improved activation probably involves the chemical norepinephrien which is activated during research and has a strong influence on memory. The Cal Irvine group concluded by stating exercise is an excellent memory aid and suggested that seniors might improve or prevent memory loss with 20 minutes of brisk walking each day. 

What I liked about Dunn’s article is that she actually performed each of the seven “tricks” to improve memory.  Dunn said she also found the walks “worked wonders with my stress level.”

Go Saints!

MoneyWalker