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I RECENTLY WROTE about things we can do to protect our finances in the event we suffer cognitive decline. This may not be anybody’s favorite subject, but it’s an important one.
Many of us have first-hand experience with the ravages of dementia. It can upend a carefully crafted retirement plan and necessitate costly medical care. Like many of my friends and colleagues, I’d like to know if there are things I can do to prevent or forestall the onset of mental decline.
Harvard Medical School published an article listing six factors that may help prevent cognitive decline:
A friend’s mother suffered from severe Alzheimer’s disease. He was concerned that this might increase his risk, and he expressed this concern to his doctor at an annual checkup. The doctor had a similar family history and shared my friend’s concern. He told him that he’d been studying dementia for a number of years and that, among the studies he’d reviewed, the one common element in reducing the risk of dementia was walking.
A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association’s neurology publication added some credence to my friend’s anecdote. The article describes a study that monitored more than 78,000 adults and looked at the relationship between the number of steps walked each day and the chances of developing dementia.
The article referenced previous findings that indicated that walking reduces the risk of many of the causes of illness and mortality, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. The article states that “an optimal dose of 6,000 to 8,000 steps has been suggested to reduce the risk of all-cause mortality.”
In our previous home in suburban Philadelphia, there were limited opportunities to walk to a store or café. I usually walked around the neighborhood or drove to a park.
Our oldest son and his family live in Manhattan. Walking is a way of life for them. It’s how they go shopping, get to the park, go to school and visit friends. They routinely exceed 10,000 steps per day. When we visit, we also walk everywhere.
In our current home, I still take walks just for exercise. There are lots of destinations to walk to, including downtown cafes and restaurants, plus there’s a 2.5-mile-long boardwalk.
I like to think of this as functional walking. Combining brain-healthy walking with an errand or a social occasion is a great “two-fer.” There’s something especially gratifying about walking to a store, coffee shop or restaurant. You feel like you earned that cafe latte.
My commitment to regular walking will be tested in the near future. I’m planning to have my left knee replaced in early January. I had my right knee replaced in September 2019. I waited too long to have that one replaced; the last year prior to the surgery was one of constant pain and very limited mobility. A two-week trip to Italy in May of that year was largely wasted.
The left knee has been mostly pain-free, but the X-rays don’t lie. There’s hardly any cartilage left and bone spurs abound. The surgeon told me I was “one fall or twist” from a lot of pain. An hour of pickleball yesterday confirmed the doctor’s warning. It’s sore today, though not too bad. I’ll take a walk after I finish writing this.
I’m thankful that the medical technology is available to help people like me overcome the challenges of age and excess. I look forward to continuing to walk for many more years. And I’m gladdened that it may help me stay mentally sharp as well.
Richard Connor is a semi-retired aerospace engineer with a keen interest in finance. He enjoys a wide variety of other interests, including chasing grandkids, space, sports, travel, winemaking and reading. Follow Rick on Twitter @RConnor609 and check out his earlier articles.
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As a retired Physical Therapist and Certified Athletic Trainer I have always known about the positive effect of exercise. I first started going to a gym when I turned 30 as the grandfather whose genes I acquired had his first heart attack before he was 50 and didn’t live to 70. Both of my parents died at about 85 with dementia and my twin brother died of dementia before he turned 60. The benefits that Rick notes here can be attained by any moderate aerobic exercise (that which increases your respiratory rate) on a regular basis, but don’t forget weight training as the more muscle mass you obtain the greater your basal metabolism rate (You burn more calories just existing).
My mother in law has never been one to walk much or exercise and on Christmas Day she will turn 101, mentally is as sharp as a tack, lives with her second husband (remarried in her mid 90s) in independent senior housing and still goes grocery shopping occasionally. Her mother lived into her mid nineties, and her aunt lived to 104 and 1/2, both mentally sharp till the end. Guess genes play a big part too.
So for our financial planning? It accounts for my wife to live to 100. At that point I expect to be long gone, and she will be my children’s responsibility.
Good luck with the surgery. You don’t need to “just” walk. I ran for 30 years, and moved to a mountain bike when my knees started acting up, about 20 years ago. I had my right knee replaced in May of 2020, just as COVID was closing things down. I retired about the same time. By Fall 2020 I was able to bike 30 miles on the Virginia Creeper rails-to-trails path (very flat). I had an unexpected (little warning until the pain became acute) left hip replacement in February of this year. I’m back up to as much as 20 miles at a time on a nearby mountain bike trail. I live in Raleigh, NC and can pretty much bike all year long, but when the weather is really bad, I go to the YMCA for strength training. I turn 70 in about 6 months. Exercising this much a day requires a significant time commitment and coordination with family activities, but is doable.
My mom was a walker who was still doing 3 miles a day into her 70’s. Sadly, it did not save her from the ravages of Alzheimer’s.
Came here to say this, except about my mother-in-law. Walking is great, and I love it myself, but it’s not a magic spell against Alzheimer’s.
I had already been walking regularly when I retired two years ago, but I decided to do it daily. Remarkably, I’ve stayed very close to that goal. I wanted it to be the one thing I could tell myself I accomplished that day in case I had frittered away the rest of my time. I’ve written about walking on Medium.https://ronwayne.medium.com/old-man-walking-ec306b695449?sk=a9fc03fb68addecaa168a41cd12a4f4f
Walking and getting some sun in your eyes first thing in the morning will even help you sleep better!
Good for you, Rick! Another walking fan here. We’ve always had dogs and they will insist you have your daily walks.
A few years ago we also got a treadmill and it’s great—walking while watching a movie on Netflix is easy and enjoyable.
Walking is awesome! I started doing “neighborhood walks” during the beginning of the Pandemic. Every other day or so I’d walk to a neighborhood near my home and simply meander down various streets looking at the architecture of the homes, etc. I’d then go online to find out more about the neighborhood I just walked through, often discovering very interesting information both current and historical. After covering all the neighborhoods close to my home, I started to drive to various neighborhoods beyond walking distance to my home and meandered through them. I’ve now covered quite a bit of my densely populated county and have learned a lot while getting good exercise. I’ve branched out into hiking which I’ve discovered is just as enjoyable.
Definitely pay attention to footwear! It’s well worth the extra money to purchase good well-fitting shoes for neighborhood walks and separate shoes for hiking. Both need to be regularly replaced to ensure both comfort and the health of your feet and legs. Walking shoes last about 500 miles so I replace mine every 4 months or so.
Richard good luck on you knee surgery. Pickleball exposes the body’s weaknesses. But I would say most players have had some surgeries and come back for more. Stay out of the kitchen!
I’m told that walking on an uneven surface is even better as it helps with maintaining good balance…so hiking trails are excellent places to walk if they’re convenient to home.
As I always remind my friends and family — A healthy person has a thousand wishes … a sick person only one — Keep moving!
Dogs can provide a great reason to get out and walk every day.
We have an 11 y/o border/heeler who literally jumps up and down when he sees me getting the leash. How can you resist that?🦮
Walking is so underrated. We had two ladies at the plant who walked regularly. I thought it was key to them being able to work in our manufacturing plant for as long as they did. Good luck on your upcoming knee surgery.
I don’t believe my grandfather ever owned a car. He walked to his job in the paper mill for 40 some years, to the market, etc. Born in 1890, he lived to be 97.
Excellent article.Thank you. Amazing that something so simple as walking has so many benefits. I also find it therapeutic- done some of my best thinking while walking. I, too, had my daily walks interrupted this year with ACL reconstruction surgery so I feel your pain, literally and figuratively. Now 5 months later, I am back to my daily 10-12 K and loving it. Best of luck with your upcoming knee replacement. You’ll be back logging the miles in no time
Best time of the day is morning walks with my wife.
Rick, I love seeing your article recommending a reasonable exercise like walking. The only expense is a good pair of shoes, and the return is tremendous.
I am on the other side of 70. The day after I retired (2015) I began walking. At first, only a few miles a day – but everyday. The walking habit has become a regular habit. I am upset if I need to skip a day, usually due to poor weather condition. This year I hit a new record of 10.5 miles in one day. If I take my wife to a shopping center or doctor rather than wait in the car I will get out and walk around the parking lot. It’s easy to rack up the steps and miles as I check my iPhone heart app along the way.
Last November (2021) as I was walking I felt as if I has a pebble in my sneaker. I removed my sneaker gave it a good shake and replaced. I still had the feeling of a pebble in my foot. Visiting a podiatrist and after a few tests it was determined I developed Mortons Neuroma in my left foot. due to poor fitting sneakers and shoes. I have size 15 feet and often wore shoes that were too narrow for my feet. Will it interfere with my walking? No. Extra padding in the sneaker and off I go. Oh yes, I now only wear extra extra wide footwear.
Anyway, my New Year’s resolution for 2022 was to double by miles from 3 miles a day to 6+. After 10 months the results are meaningful. Blood pressure in check. Cholesterol lowered by 9%. Lastly, almost a loss of 10 pounds without reducing caloric intake or radically changing my diet. Come on guys, start walking! What could be easier.