Staying fast on your feet may be just as important for keeping your mind sharp as doing brain teasers and crossword puzzles. Researchers behind a new study in Neurology Journals found people in their 80s who maintain a quicker walking pace than their peers are far more likely to stay mentally sharp. The study analyzed data from 4,000 older adults enrolled in a long-term aging study and found the fastest nine per cent dubbed “supermovers” tended to preserve the volume of their brain’s hippocampus — the part associated with memory — despite similar levels of Alzheimer’s pathology as their peers. “We are seeing that the supermovers are experiencing about 50 per cent less cognitive decline compared to their counterparts who are not supermovers. That’s pretty significant,” said Dr. Sofiya Milman, who one of the study’s authors and the director of human longevity studies at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. It’s not surprising to some regulars at Planet Fitness in Calgary who are in their seventies. “As you get older you have to continue moving otherwise you just fall apart,” 73-year-old Mario Pipi told CTV News with a chuckle. He mixes weight-training with active hobbies outside the gym, including long bike rides and dancing. Neil Wismer, who is also 73, thinks focussing on fitness and playing pickleball makes him feel good and may help prevent Alzheimer’s. “Since I’ve retired, I’m at the gym more, about five times a week. It’s part of healthy living as we get old, keep the mind and body active,” Wismer said. The study indicates supermovers walk as fast as people about thirty years younger. Someone walking at the average walk speed for people in their 80s — which is 3.42kilomeres an hour — can cover a kilometre in about 19 minutes. Supermovers walking at the average speed of someone in their 50s — or 4.43 kilometres an hour — would be able to walk a kilometre in under 14 minutes. “I would recommend going four miles an hour, which is 6.4 kilometres an hour, or greater on the treadmill,” said Dan Rueb, who is a personal trainer at Planet Fitness who recommends quick walking for his older clients. The study focusses on walking, but other research indicates the type of movement doesn’t matter so much as long as you are consistent and keep up the pace.
