Many studies have shown in recent years that one can keep one’s brain from “slipping” as we age by reading, writing, playing board games, attending a play, etc., including a recent study by Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center and Illinois Institute of Technology. However, according to researcher Alan J. Gow of Scotland’s University of Edinburgh, seniors who participated in more physical activity over a course of three years–including walking several times a week–, experienced less brain shrinkage than those who didn’t exercise as much, and there was no benefit from mentally and socially stimulating activities!! Also, Dr. Martin Juneau of the Montreal Heart Institute put overweight, inactive adults through four months of high-intensity interval training and found that besides weight loss, there was improvement in thinking, memory, and making quick decisions. He suggests at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a week. (A recent Danish study found that fast walking and jogging slashed heart disease and stroke risk by 50%, but daily one-hour leisurely walks made no difference!).