Pilates Fitness Friday: Walking for Your Brain

Brisk walking outdoors supports brain health and boosts memory with every step.

Incorporating regular physical activity into our routines is widely recognised for its benefits to physical health. Emerging research now shows that moderate aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, can also enhance brain function, particularly memory. This is especially relevant for Pilates teachers who aim to offer their clients a more complete and mindful approach to wellness.

The Science Behind Walking and Brain Health

The hippocampus is the area of the brain responsible for memory and spatial navigation. As we age, the hippocampus tends to shrink, which can lead to memory decline and increase the risk of conditions such as dementia. However, research has shown that regular aerobic activity can actually reverse this trend.

One study involving older adults found that walking briskly for forty minutes three times a week led to a two percent increase in hippocampal volume after just one year. This is a significant finding, as it suggests the potential to reverse age-related memory loss by one to two years. Improvements in spatial memory were also noted among the participants, supporting the idea that walking does more than just benefit the body.

How Much and How Fast Should We Walk

To achieve these brain-boosting benefits, the recommended approach is forty minutes of brisk walking three times per week. The pace should be enough to raise your heart rate and leave you lightly out of breath, but still able to hold a conversation. This level of intensity is often referred to as moderate intensity exercise and has been consistently linked with improvements in brain structure and function.

Integrating Walking into Pilates Programmes

As Pilates teachers, we are in a unique position to encourage clients to think beyond the mat. Adding walking as a regular activity complements Pilates beautifully. While Pilates builds strength, mobility and control, walking offers cardiovascular benefits and improves brain health. Walking can be recommended as a warm-up before a class, a post-session cooldown, or a standalone practice on non-Pilates days.

Conclusion

Walking is one of the simplest forms of exercise available to almost everyone and yet its impact on the brain is profound. Just forty minutes three times a week can help grow the hippocampus and improve memory. For Pilates teachers, this offers another tool to help clients feel better, move better, and live more fully. Walking is not just about getting from one place to another. It is about supporting the brain, the body, and the entire mind-body connection we value so much in Pilates.

Resources

• Erickson, K. I., Voss, M. W., Prakash, R. S., Basak, C., Szabo, A., Chaddock, L., ... & Kramer, A. F. (2011). Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(7), 3017-3022.https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1015950108

• National Institute on Aging: How Exercise Helps Your Brainhttps://www.nia.nih.gov/news/how-exercise-helps-your-brain

• NHS Physical Activity Guidelines for Adultshttps://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/