Last weekend there was an event in the area entitled, “Walk to End Alzheimer’s.”

This walk was taking place in the same park where I was training a group of people who already know how to walk, but not in the invigorating and challenging ways I was teaching.

One of my students remarked, “If these people only knew they aren’t ending anything from the way they are walking.”

I replied, “Truism. If you want to save your brain, or get it back, you better start learning something new, something that causes the growth of new neurons and new neural pathways. If every day is ground hog day, your memory is slip sliding away.”

The brain is an intriguing organ, one that seems to come with a “Danger: Keep Out” as well as a “Do Not Use Manual.”

Even though everyone supposedly has a brain, damn few want to learn anything about it. It’s far more interesting to learn about cars, computers and the latest apple pie recipe.

So I’ll keep it simple: When the brain isn’t in learning mode, or even when it isn’t practicing what was learned years ago, guess what the brain decides to do?

Answer: The brain decides, on its own, without asking your opinion on the gray matter, to go ahead and delete areas that are no longer being used.

No exaggeration, some people lose brain mass through neglect that is comparable to the size of their own fist.

How is walking in the same-ole, same-ole way going to make Alzheimer’s a thing of the past?

It’s not.

Your brain-body needs to be in learning mode. It needs to be challenged so that new neurons are created and existing motor units are not lost.

And that’s where Warrior Walking comes in.

When you learn to walk in ways you’ve never walked before, you increase the growth of neurons, you stave off the loss of motor units, and you improve the functioning of your brain and body.

My mother had a long date with Alzheimer’s despite walking at least three miles every day for most of her life.

Did she ever walk in new, challenging ways that lit up her brain?

She did not.

But if she had the opportunity to learn what I am teaching today, I believe she would have jumped on it.

Why?

Because Warrior Walking is more than “just walking.”

It’s a game changer.

Change the way you move and you change your brain and the way that it thinks.

Matt Furey