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 Healthy Habits for Seniors, part 3

Cut Dementia Risk in Half By Doing This Daily


We often think about diseases of the brain as being a result of lack of mental activity, but it appears that may not be entirely the case according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.  This study monitored over 78,000 adults with an average age of 61 years old for an average of 6.9 years.  It started back between 2013 and 2015 and now the results are in.

 How Long Should I Walk For To Make The Biggest Impact

What they found was that walking 9,800 steps per day, within a 30 minute window, so not just a stroll but a walk with a purpose (they refer to it as cadence), can reduce your chance of dementia by 50%.  Yes, cut your risk of dementia in half by walking every day.  Now I continually look for information like this and read an article mentioning this so I had to take a deeper dive.  We know that walking can help cardiovascular health, but now you can include dementia prevention as another reason to take that walk.  I obtained access to the report and spent time reading over the data and how they captured it because like you, I was skeptical.  Why would exercise help the brain avoid dementia, perhaps that answer is not available yet but the results do speak for themselves.

 Some Advice On How To Help Get Your Parents Going

Some of you may be thinking that getting your parents to walk that much every day is unlikely and I accept that may be the case.  If they walk less than 9800 steps in a day and at a slower pace, it does help reduce their risk of developing dementia.  So the bottom line is encourage your parents to walk, having a dog can help indirectly encourage this as it gives them a reason to get out.  If you are concerned about your parents being outside, suggest an early morning walk after breakfast and next time you are at their house, map out a suggested path for them you think looks safe.  We all need encouragement, especially our older parents as there can be a lot on their mind.  Give them some positive reinforcement and recognize what they do, even if it not the full 30 minute/9800 steps, it will help drive them to do more.

 






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