A young brain could be as easy as a walk to the shops

WE’D all like to stay feeling more youthful, but it often seems to take a lot of effort or cost a lot to do so.

Now it seems a simple walk to the shops could make your brain younger. A new study suggests the brains of middle-aged people are more than a year younger after an extra hour of daily light physical activity.

Light activity can be as easy as a stroll on a flat street, fishing, ballroom dancing or cycling at less than five miles per hour.

And those who try to meet a daily target of 10,000 steps can expect to have a brain about 1.75 years younger than people who do less than 5,000.

The benefits of gentle exercise were found in a study of more than 2,300 people wearing fitness trackers. Those who did more light physical activity had slightly larger brains – important as the shrinking of brains with age is linked to dementia.

Dr Nicole Spartano, who led the study from Boston University School of Medicine, said: ‘Every additional hour of light-intensity physical activity was associated with higher brain volumes, even among individuals not meeting current activity guidelines.

‘This is consistent with the notion that potential benefits of physical activity on brain ageing may accrue at a lower, more achievable level.’

Among people who did not manage to reach the recommended exercise target, an extra hour of light daily physical activity made their brains about 1.4 years younger.