You know what has really been good about lockdown? Walking. I have walked my area flat.
I even walked the soles of my takkies off and had to glue them back on. True as Bob. I did not really walk much before lockdown. Hike, yes, loved it, but usually on the weekends and in the mountains. Then came lockdown and we were trapped at home. Cabin fever de luxe! Remember what it felt like when we were finally allowed out of our cages for 3 hours’ exercise a day? And then the delight when we were allowed to exercise any time of day for as long as we wanted. Walking is good for the soul. Makes me happy. I remember one moment in August when I stopped to watch a little orange-breasted sunbird singing its heart out on a tree next to the road. If I moved my eyes just a fraction to the left, I could see a southern right whale lazily lifting its flukes in the bay behind it. Not many people can see those two creatures at the same time just a stone’s throw from home. Walking is, of course, also good for your general health, but here is something I bet you did not know: scientists have recently discovered that walking is good for the health of your brain. In fact it is crucial. Not just walking, any movement of your leg muscles really, but preferably weight-bearing exercise. I’ve always thought of the brain as the control centre, sending instructions to all parts of our body. But sometimes it happens the other way around, and it is the muscles sending instructions to the brain. Researchers found this out when they were investigating why patients with multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases often declined rapidly when their movement became limited. They took two groups of mice: one was allowed to move freely, the other had their hindlegs immobilised. After 28 days researchers examined the area in the mice brains that maintains nerve cell health and where neural stem cells produce new neurons, or nerves. What did they find? There were 70% fewer neural stem cells produced in the mice that had been prevented from moving their back legs, compared to the group that could move freely. Researchers also found that the neurons did not fully mature in the mice whose movement had been restricted. So they proved that leg exercise “tells” the brain to produce new neurons, which are essential for proper functioning of the brain and nervous system. Nerve cells are the building blocks that allow us to handle stress and adapt to challenges in our lives, say researchers. Dr Raffaella Adami, the lead scientist said: “It is no accident that we are meant to be active: to walk, run and use our leg muscles to lift things. Neurological health is not a one-way street with the brain telling the muscles ‘lift ’, ‘walk’, and so on.” So if you feel life is getting a bit stressful, put on those takkies and walk your brain fit.
