Walk to Stay Healthy, Happy, and Increase Memory

Some of you may have heard us say once (or 20 times) that it's as vital to walk every day as it is to sleep every night. You wouldn't skip your ZZZs; don't skip your strides. Yep, walking is that critical to your health and well-being. (Not a walker? Here's all it takes to get started.)

We had a jones for walking long before we wrote our first "YOU" book 6 years ago, but we've now got another reason to walk forever and to get your mom, uncle, pop-pop, and great-aunt Tillie to go with you. New research makes it clear that the older you are, the more important it is to walk. The more you walk, the happier you are. And the happier you are, the more you walk, which means a healthier you.

What specifically does walking do for older family members? The same things it does for you: Within 3 months of hitting your stride, all of you will have boosted blood flow to your brains by 15% (hello, smarty pants) and lowered your blood pressure and heart rates about 5% (goodbye, heart disease). If you step lively and cover about 6 miles a week (easy to do if you walk 30 minutes a day), you'll also help keep your brain from shrinking, and even increase your memory processing area. That ups the chances that you'll hold onto your memories.

For a last bit of motivation, celebrate the holidays by buying everyone a pedometer. When you track your steps, you'll find they mysteriously increase. (Are you walking to lose weight? Try these 4 tricks.)

Find out why your everyday walking speed should be over 2 miles per hour.