“The idea here is that we can momentarily counteract [decline] through movement. It’s compelling.”
Do things like this ever happen to you?
- Someone asks you about a restaurant nearby. You love it, you tell them; you go there all the time. Then, you realize the last time you actually visited was several years ago.
- You come up with a fantastic business idea. But then you go to share it with a colleague, and you realize as you share it that you’ve missed several big holes.
- Perhaps most on the nose: You’re trying to remember some of the minutiae of everyday life — a password, or a routine that you’ve done hundreds of times — and yet, you draw a blank. You start to worry. Is your brain just getting older?
Time catches all of us eventually. But what if I were to tell you that a new study suggests there’s a simple thing you can do every day that can improve brainpower and restore cognitive health, to the point that your brain functions as if it were several years younger?
Writing in the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine, researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine say they may have found just such a thing.
In short, after putting together a study of middle-aged people who simply participated in “everyday movement,” which didn’t even have to be intensive exercise, but instead things like walking a dog or doing chores, wound up with improved brain function.
Specifically, according to a statement released with the study: “improvement in cognitive processing speed equivalent to being four years younger.”
As study lead Jonathan Hakun, assistant professor of neurology and psychology at Penn State and the Penn State College of Medicine, put it:
You don’t have to go to the gym to experience all the potential benefits of physical activity. All movement is important.
Everyday movement counts as a source of accumulated physical activity that could be credited toward a healthy lifestyle and may have some direct impact on cognitive health.
Before we dive in deeper, let’s clarify a distinction. We’ve seen lots of studies suggesting that long-term brain health might be improved as a result of exercise.
Heck, one of my favorite studies suggests that exercise can reduce people’s risk of death from any cause, during any given year by as much as 27 percent.
The difference with this study, however, is that it suggests improved brain function in the short term. Take the dog for a walk in the morning, enjoy “improvement in cognitive processing speed” after lunch, so to speak.
As you’ll see, the researchers really were focused on how exercise affected brain power in the here and now.
In short, they studied data from 204 participants, all of whom were residents of the Bronx, New York, and between the ages of 40 and 65.
Over the course of nine days, the participants checked in six times each day: reporting their level of physical activity since the last check-in, and asked to play two brain games, one assessing working memory and the other assessing cognitive processing speed.
Sure enough, cognitive processing speed increased after participants reported having had at least some physical activity since their last check-in.
Takeaways for business leaders?
It might mean simply working physical movement into your ordinary workday: things like walk-and-talk meetings or phone calls, or making the effort sometimes to visit colleagues where they work, instead of doing video calls or else trying to get them to come to you.
Oh, and I don’t think this is a replacement for serious exercise. It’s more about adding something simple and pleasant to your daily routine.
“We get slower as we age, both physically and cognitively. The idea here is that we can momentarily counteract that through movement. It’s compelling,” Hakun continued. “There’s the potential for a brief walk or a little extra movement to give you a boost.”
The Science Behind Movement and Mental Sharpness
The brain changes we’re talking about happen remarkably fast. When you move your body, even in small ways, several biological processes kick into gear almost immediately. Blood flow increases to your brain, carrying fresh oxygen and nutrients that your neural networks crave. Think of it like opening the windows in a stuffy room – suddenly everything feels clearer and more alive.
Your heart starts pumping a bit harder, which might seem obvious, but what’s less obvious is how this affects the tiny blood vessels in your brain. These microscopic highways expand, allowing more fuel to reach the areas responsible for quick thinking and problem-solving. It’s like upgrading from a single-lane road to a four-lane highway for brain traffic.
Movement also triggers the release of special proteins that act like fertilizer for brain cells. These proteins, which scientists have fancy names for, essentially help your neurons communicate better with each other. Imagine trying to have a conversation through a bad phone connection versus a crystal-clear line – that’s the difference these proteins can make for your mental processes.
Building Movement Into Your Actual Life
The beauty of this research lies in its practicality. You don’t need special equipment, a gym membership, or even workout clothes. The study participants weren’t doing CrossFit or training for marathons. They were simply moving their bodies in ways that fit naturally into their regular routines.
Consider your morning routine. Instead of immediately sitting down with coffee and scrolling through your phone, try doing some light stretching or walking around your living space.
Even five minutes of gentle movement can set a different tone for your entire day. Your brain gets that early boost of blood flow, and you’re already ahead of the game before most people have fully woken up.
During work hours, movement becomes even more strategic. That meeting you have scheduled? Try suggesting a walking meeting if the weather’s decent and the topic allows for it. You’ll find that conversations often flow more naturally when people are moving together. There’s something about walking side by side that removes some of the formal barriers we put up in conference rooms.
Phone calls present perfect opportunities for movement. Unless you need to be typing or looking at documents, there’s no reason to stay glued to your desk chair.
Pace around your office, walk the hallways, or even do some gentle calf raises while you listen. Your brain gets the benefit of increased blood flow while you’re handling business.
The Compound Effect of Small Movements
What makes this research particularly interesting is how small movements add up throughout the day. It’s not about one big burst of activity that solves everything. Instead, it’s the accumulation of many small moments of movement that creates the cognitive boost.
Think about how you currently move through your day. You probably walk from your car to your office, maybe take the stairs occasionally, walk to the bathroom, grab lunch, move between meetings. Each of these represents an opportunity to be slightly more intentional about movement.
Instead of taking the closest parking spot, park a bit further away. Those extra steps aren’t going to transform your fitness level, but they contribute to the pool of daily movement that can sharpen your thinking.
Take the long way to the bathroom or to get water. Walk to a colleague’s desk instead of sending that email, especially if it’s something that could be resolved with a quick conversation.
The elevator versus stairs choice presents itself multiple times a day for many people. You don’t have to become the person who always takes the stairs, but choosing stairs occasionally adds movement without requiring any special time commitment. Your future self dealing with that afternoon mental fog will thank you.
Movement and Creative Problem-Solving
Something fascinating happens when you combine physical movement with mental challenges. Your brain seems to make connections it might not make while sitting still. Many people report their best ideas coming during walks, and there’s solid reasoning behind this phenomenon.
When you’re walking, your brain isn’t completely focused on the movement because walking is largely automatic for most adults. This creates what researchers call a “relaxed attention” state.
Part of your mind is occupied with the physical task, but there’s still plenty of mental bandwidth available for processing other information. This divided attention actually helps with creative thinking.
The rhythm of walking seems to sync with certain brain patterns associated with insight and problem-solving. It’s why many people find that solutions to work problems pop into their heads during their commute or while walking the dog.
Your brain is still working on those challenges, but it’s working in a different mode than when you’re sitting at your desk staring at the problem directly.
For business leaders and anyone dealing with complex decisions, this suggests a simple strategy: when you’re stuck on a problem, move.
It doesn’t have to be a long walk. Even pacing around your office for a few minutes can shift your mental state enough to see new angles on whatever you’re wrestling with.
The Social Benefits of Movement-Based Interactions
Moving with other people creates different types of conversations than what happens in traditional meeting rooms.
When you’re walking with someone, you’re naturally looking ahead rather than maintaining constant eye contact. This can actually make people more comfortable sharing ideas or concerns they might hold back in a formal setting.
The shared physical activity also creates a subtle sense of collaboration. You’re literally moving in the same direction, which can translate into feeling more aligned on business goals or project objectives.
It’s a small psychological effect, but it can make meetings more productive and relationships stronger.
Walking meetings work particularly well for certain types of discussions: brainstorming sessions, one-on-one check-ins, problem-solving conversations, and relationship-building talks. They’re less ideal for presentations, detailed data reviews, or any discussion requiring documents or screens.
The key is matching the movement to the conversation. A complex budget review probably needs to happen at a table with spreadsheets. But that follow-up conversation about team dynamics or strategic priorities? That might be perfect for a walk around the block.
Overcoming Common Obstacles
Weather obviously affects outdoor movement options, but this research focused on any kind of physical activity, not specifically outdoor exercise.
On rainy or extremely hot days, indoor movement still counts. Walking the hallways of your building, taking stairs, doing some light stretching, or even fidgeting more actively while seated can contribute to the cognitive benefits.
Time constraints feel like the biggest barrier for most people. The good news is that this research suggests even brief periods of movement can help.
You don’t need to carve out 30-minute blocks. A few minutes here and there throughout the day can add up to meaningful cognitive improvements.
Professional image concerns sometimes stop people from moving more at work. There’s a worry that walking around or suggesting walking meetings might seem unprofessional.
But as remote work has changed many workplace norms, there’s growing acceptance of different ways to conduct business. Many successful leaders already incorporate movement into their workdays because they’ve discovered its benefits.
The key is starting small and being consistent rather than making dramatic changes that feel uncomfortable or unsustainable. Small adjustments to existing routines tend to stick better than completely new habits that require significant schedule changes.
Understanding Your Personal Response
Different people seem to respond differently to movement-based cognitive boosts. Some people notice the effects very quickly, feeling sharper within minutes of moving. Others experience more subtle changes that become apparent over time through improved overall mental clarity and reduced afternoon energy crashes.
Pay attention to your own patterns. Notice how you feel mentally after taking the stairs versus taking the elevator.
Compare your thinking clarity on days when you incorporate more movement versus days when you’re mostly sedentary. You might start to see connections between your physical activity and your mental performance.
Age seems to play a role in how pronounced these effects are. The study focused on middle-aged participants, and older adults often report more noticeable cognitive benefits from movement than younger people. This might be because younger brains are already operating at high efficiency, while older brains have more room for improvement through lifestyle changes.
Your baseline fitness level doesn’t seem to determine whether you’ll benefit from this approach.
Even people who exercise regularly can experience cognitive improvements from adding more everyday movement to their routines. It’s not about replacing formal exercise but about adding another layer of physical activity throughout the day.
Practical Implementation Strategies
Start with awareness. For a few days, simply notice how much you’re currently moving during your regular day.
Don’t try to change anything yet; just become conscious of your movement patterns. This baseline awareness makes it easier to identify opportunities for small improvements.
Choose three specific times during your day when you could easily add movement. Maybe it’s parking further away, taking one phone call while walking, and doing some stretching before your afternoon meetings. Having specific, planned moments makes it more likely you’ll actually follow through.
Use technology to support your goals without becoming obsessed with it. A simple step counter can provide feedback about your daily movement without turning it into a complicated fitness program. The goal is increased awareness and gentle motivation, not precise tracking of every movement.
Make it social when possible. Invite colleagues to join you for walking meetings or suggest taking the stairs together. Having others involved creates accountability and makes the changes feel more natural and less like a personal quirk.
The Long-Term Perspective
While this research focuses on short-term cognitive benefits, the implications for long-term brain health are worth considering. If small amounts of daily movement can temporarily improve cognitive processing speed, what might happen to overall brain function over months or years of consistently incorporating more movement?
The brain’s ability to form new connections and strengthen existing ones, called neuroplasticity, appears to be enhanced by physical activity. Even moderate increases in daily movement might contribute to better brain aging and potentially reduced risk of cognitive decline later in life.
This doesn’t mean movement alone is a magic solution for all cognitive challenges. But it represents a simple, accessible tool that almost anyone can use to potentially improve their daily mental performance.
Combined with other brain-healthy habits like good sleep, social connections, and mental challenges, increased daily movement becomes part of a comprehensive approach to cognitive wellness.
The research suggests we might be overlooking one of the simplest ways to boost our brainpower. In a world full of complex productivity systems and cognitive enhancement strategies, sometimes the most effective solutions are also the most basic.
Moving your body more throughout the day costs nothing, requires no special skills, and can fit into almost any lifestyle or work situation.
Your brain is waiting for you to give it the movement it needs to function at its best. The question isn’t whether you have time for this approach – it’s whether you can afford not to try it.
Part of this article was originally published by Inc.com.
