So you’re getting older and the weather’s getting colder: seems like the perfect combination to cause you to start slowing down or even stop exercising. That would be an unfortunate response, however. It’s true, as the weather turns, you may need to smartly button up when going outside, and it’s also true that as you age, you may need to make accommodations to your aging body and alter your workout routine. But to become less active- or even stop moving- would add insult to injury and likely lead to a quicker deterioration of both your body and brain. So before you decide to slow down, consider how to keep moving, even if you would rather you be sedentary.

As we’ve previously written, by “moving” no one insists you go for hours upon hours to your local gym. Valuable, extra movement can merely be incorporated into your daily activities, like adding some movement while watching the television or sitting on an exercise ball while doing your paperwork. Or, as Dr. Wendy Suzuki, the noted neuroscientist who studies the connection between exercise and brain health, says, “When I’m crunched for time, I’ll simply pace a few laps around my dining room table.” Of course, Dr. Suzuki herself strives for at least 3-4 workouts a week, 30 minutes each, to get the best boost for her brain. Her expert insights? Exercise plays an essential role in maintaining and improving cognition, protecting your brain from the hazards of aging and such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer’s, and decreasing feelings of anxiety and depression. In fact, exercise is considered the #1 best way to stop memory loss.

And if the idea of “exercise” is something that feels foreign or too burdensome, then forget about that concept and simply walk to keep moving. In case you need a reminder, walking is considered an essential component of healthy aging, enhancing your prospects for a longer health and life span and keeping your mindset in a more positive, creative place. In fact, we’ve just marked the annual celebration of National Hiking Day, an activity that combines walking with other physical and cognitive challenges, becoming, as a result, a kind of “fountain of youth,” for those who take it up. According to Martin Pazzani, author of the recent book, SECRETS OF AGING WELL: GET OUTSIDE: The Fitness You Can’t Get in a Gym – Be Healthier, Recharge Your Brain, Prevent Burnout, Find More Joy, and Maybe Live to be 100, the act of physically walking/hiking outdoors can lead to such benefits as building brain fitness, building leg strength, improving natural vision, and reducing stress, all important considerations as your body begins to enter its later years. For more on the value of outdoor hiking and the insights of this book, grab your walking poles and click here.

Finally, even if you can’t muster the enthusiasm to consider outdoor hiking as the weather gets colder, that still doesn’t let you off the hook given the importance of movement, even in the winter. There’s new evidence that remote Zoom fitness sessions can still provide valuable physical benefits even if you don’t leave the comfort of your own living room. So set up that Zoom camera and sign up for some remote Yoga sessions here.