Exercise boosts brain health

From The Atlantic, an article about the change in how science views the relationship between exercise and brain health. 70-year-old Edgar Payson Weston walked from New York to San Francisco, taking 105 days to complete the trip. During that era, people believed exercise by older people diminished their mental capacity, however, it turned out we regenerate brain cells, so activity helps that regenerative process. The article lists many studies reinforcing the benefits of exercise, especially walking, on brain health.

Elements of walkable city design

One set of criteria for designing walkable cities:

• Connectivity
• Linkage with other modes
• Fine grained land use patterns
• Safety
• Quality of path
• Path context

What's with 30-day challenges?

An article writer likes doing 30-day challenges. What she called "challenges" were things she didn't currently do. She thinks they work to change behavior or stretch her capacity because, among other things, they present a manageable chunk of time in one's life.

Another writer doesn't think very highly of the idea but suggests a few that could work.

It turns out 30-day challenges are pretty common. There were even more when I searched "psychology of 30-day challenges."

30 days seems a convenient way to set apart a manageable length of time and seems related to how long it takes to develop good habits. However, the popular duration of 21 days isn't always the right length.

A more holistic approach seems to be more environmental. Create an environment around you that encourages permanent change. For example, if you want to change your diet, clear out your refrigerator and pantry of the kinds of food you want to avoid and replace that food with the kind you think you should be eating.