Post Classifieds
Lazy behavior lends itself to cognitive deficiencies
By Samantha Wulff
On May 2, 2013
Buff State must be in the process of forming a group called Students Against Walking,
because I've been seeing a lot of public demonstrations lately.
Waiting for an elevator when the stairwell is five feet away is one of the best examples,
but paying for a closer, visitor parking spot is a pretty good one too.
OK, you got me - there's no such group. But the prevalence of students boycotting
excess walking makes me feel that it wouldn't be difficult to get one up and
"running." Physical and medical needs aside, avoiding activity is unnecessary and
counterproductive. Being out of shape is a major concern, but there are worse, less visible
consequences.
According to research from King's College London, people who exercised regularly
throughout their lives scored better on mental tests at age fifty than their inactive peers.
Participating in low-intensity and low-frequency leisure time activities (think "brisk
walk") was found to be positively related to cognitive function in mid and late adulthood.
Look at it like an educational investment. Get moving now to increase your chances of
success for the future. While this investment requires more persistence, it will pay off in
ways that student loans cannot.
We tend to be a culture obsessed with the here and now, and it's difficult to value the
abstract when we aren't instantaneously rewarded. Unfortunately, there isn't much
research on the present effects of physical activity on cognition in young adults. But
forgoing laziness can actually make life much easier.
Dedication to inactivity can be more stressful and time consuming than putting forth a
little effort. For example: two cars pull onto campus at the same time, both searching for
a parking spot. Car 1 waits in line for a close parking spot. Car 2 finds a parking spot
further away, parks and walks to class before Car 1 even gets out of line. Car 1 is late for
class.
So, in Michelle Obama's words, "Let's Move!" The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention state that adults need an equivalent of two and a half hours of moderate-
intensity aerobic activity each week. Using conservative calculations, it would probably
take about 10 walks across campus to meet quota. If you have class four days a week,
that's only 4-10 minute bouts each day.
If a little energy spent in the present will yield a more successful future, I say the benefits
outweigh the inconvenience. King's College London also found in their study that
improvements in cognitive function were seen even with minimal physical activity.
Participants that were active only one day a week still scored better than those who
exercised less than that. The whole concept is less give and more take.
A minute of relaxation does not trump shortcomings in an older brain. We all have a lot
on our plates right now, but this will be one of the easiest things you do for your future.
What use is four or more years of education if your brain won't be able to effectively
keep or use all of the information you've paid for?
Samantha Wulff can be reached by email at wulff.record@live.com.
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