Can't Remember? Go Take a Walk

Taking a walk could be good for your memory, according to research from the University of Pittsburgh.

Researchers found that an energetic walk three times a week increased the size of the hippocampus, the brain's memory region.

It's one of the first areas destroyed by Alzheimer's.

"Brain size shrinks in late adulthood, which can cause memory problems. Our results should encourage well-designed trials of physical exercise in older adults as a promising approach for preventing dementia and Alzheimer's disease," study author Kirk I. Erickson said.

Scientists studied 299 participants at the beginning, middle, and end of a 13-year span. They say the exercise took up to two years off the brain's age.

Read the full report published in the online medical journal Neurology.