Can walking make you smarter?
In a recent study published on nature.com, scientists have concluded that “Significant positive relationships between endurance and cognitive performance[1]”. In non-science speak, walking makes you smarter.
What does this mean for us?
Business Minded promotes success through finding balance in our lives; strengthening our finances, careers, physical bodies, minds and spirit, our relationships, and our romantic pursuits. This further bolsters our approach, adding science to what we already knew. Finding balance in our lives helps us be more successful. As each area of our lives builds on each other, we need a holistic approach to chasing success.
What can you do?
Fortunately, this study focuses on the act of walking, and the corresponding improvement in both walking endurance and cognitive function. Since each of us can walk (except for those extremely rare cases of physical impairment), we can easily do a couple of laps around the block to make ourselves smarter. This isn’t a rigorous workout regime, and nobody is asking you to run an ultra-marathon. In the study, participants found an increase in brain function (they were smarter) after only a 2-minute brisk walk.
What is the take-away? Simply add a walk into your daily routine.
Physical fitness is an important part of retaining our health, energy, and vigor. Taking a walk and elevating the heart rate is an important practice for restoring our energy, especially when we start to feel lethargic and tired. The importance of this study adds to the benefits that a quick walk around the block can do, improving cognitive performance as well as restoring energy.
In practice, when you’re starting to feel drowsy, or if you have an upcoming meeting that you want to be at your best for, try taking a walk around the block, or simply a loop around the office first. Elevating your heart rate will help you not only remain focused, it will also make you smarter.
If you want to experience more success in your life and career, adding a little exercise can go a long way. So go out there, make some strides towards success (figuratively and literally)!
Action Item:
When are you going to devote some time to walk today? Start with only 5 minutes, you’ll be smarter, healthier, and more energetic because of it!
[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-49301-y, Scientific Reports Volume 9, Article number: 12885 (2019)