WALK FOR YOUR BRAIN

According to a study in the August 2010 issue of Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, the brain scans of adults 55 to 80 who walked three times a week showed increased connections between brain areas after a year, compared with adults who did stretching and toning exercises alone.

Another tip for improving health in general is diet. People who followed the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet for eight weeks – eating nine to 11 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, low-fat dairy products, and reduced fats – cut their risk of heart disease by an estimated 18 percent compared with people who consumed a more typical American diet. The September 2010 study found even greater benefits among African-Americans.