I recently read an article about a study that found walking helps to slow cognitive decline.
According to a paper published in Nature Medicine, researchers found that greater physical activity is linked to a slower rate of cognitive decline. And one of the activities they measured was steps.
They found that those who average between 3,000 and 5,000 steps per day delayed cognitive decline by an average of three years, and those who walk 5,000-7,000 steps per day delay it by an average of seven years.
Now since retiring I am a relatively sedentary type - I spend a lot of time sitting while I read and write - I do walk daily.
In large part because of my dog.
Gubbio (yes, inspired by the story of St. Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio) and I go walking three times a day. I walk him first thing in the morning, around noon, and then just before dinner.
I once counted the number of steps I walk with him. In the winter, when it’s cold, snowy, and slippery, the total per day is about 3,000. When the weather gets warmer we go on longer walks, getting in between 5,000 and 6,000 steps. And those totals don’t include the steps I take with my other activities.
But the bulk of my stepping is with Gubbio. He is saving my brain!
Good dog.
Pax et bonum
