Walk Out On Your Favorite Exercise

There's a lot to be said for being faithful to one thing. But not when it comes to this: exercise.

So don't just walk. Hop, skip, jump, and gallop, too! Doing more than four different activities a week protects your brain as well as your body.

Your Brain on Exercise
And the rewards will be sweet, not just sweaty. In a study of more than 3,000 people 65 and older, those who engaged in four or more physical activities a week were less likely to develop dementia than those who did one or none (assuming they hadn't inherited a gene linked to Alzheimer's disease). Being active defends your brain in half a dozen ways -- from keeping your neurons sharp to releasing mind-enhancing hormones. Here are three more reasons to cross-train.

A Walk . . . and Then Some
Already walking 30 minutes a day? Good for you. Now, dust off the stationary bike, and push the lawn mower around the yard, too. Any type of physical activity counts -- from line dancing to training your dog. Doing more than four yet? Here's a little help to nudge you over the edge:

• Do chores. Check out this list of calorie-burning round-the-house work.
• Try the YOU2 Workout. Choose from 18 different at-home moves.
• Become a chi-gong expert. The YOU Docs show you the moves in this online video.
• Jump rope. Here's how many calories you'll burn in 1 hour.

Physical activity, APOE genotype, and dementia risk: findings from the Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study. Podewils, L. J., Guallar, E., Kuller, L. H., Fried, L. P., Lopez, O. L., Carlson, M., Lyketsos, C. G., American Journal of Epidemiology 2005 Apr 1;161(7):639-651.