Neuroscientist: The Insane Benefits Of Walking Everyday For Heart Health & Longevity | Shane O'Mara

Did you know that people who walk over 7,500 steps a day reduce their risk of all cause mortality and are less likely to suffer from major depressive disorders? Walking is one of the fundamental actions attributed to humans, yet our modern lifestyles do not promote this activity in our daily lives. It has many incredible health benefits and is one of the most underrated and low-cost activities that can be added to your daily routine to promote longevity and prevent aging.

Today on The Dhru Purohit Podcast, Dhru and Dr. Shane O’Mara discuss the mind blowing science behind the power of walking and its ability to boost your mood, health, and even creativity.

In this episode, Dr. O’Mara shares the benefits of walking for heart, metabolic, and brain health. He also shares the optimal level of activity we should strive to get each day and practical ways we can implement walking in our daily routines and even reverse the damage caused by our sedentary lifestyles. We also get insight into how walking can help us feel socially connected and problem solve when we feel stuck.

Shane O'Mara is a renowned neuroscientist and professor known for his work in the field of cognitive neuroscience, particularly in the areas of memory, stress, and brain function. Dr. O'Mara obtained his Ph.D. in behavioral neuroscience at the University of Oxford.

Throughout his career, Shane O'Mara has held various academic positions and conducted groundbreaking research in neuroscience. He has been associated with prominent institutions, including the University of Dublin and Trinity College Dublin, where he held the Chair of Experimental Brain Research.

In addition to his research, Dr. Shane O'Mara is also an accomplished author, with several publications in scientific journals and books to his name. He is known for his ability to communicate complex neuroscience concepts to a broader audience and has been involved in science outreach and education.

In this episode, Dhru and Dr. O’Mara dive into:
-The consequences our brains and bodies face when we stay sedentary
-The research around walking and reducing depressive disorders
-Why walking is such an underrated physical activity
-What is the optimal level of activity research recommends versus what average adults do in Western societies
-Walking has more positive benefits and less side effects compared to any pharmaceutical drug
-The research behind how walking can prevent brain aging
-The impact of walking on your metabolic health and lowering inflammation
-Walking and weight loss and walking before and after a big meal to reduce glucose spikes
-Practical ways you can incorporate walking into your daily routine
-The link between walking and creativity
-Health benefits of walking and reversing the damage of a sedentary lifestyle
-Dhru’s personal experience with walking with the Man Morning group
-Dr. O’Mara’s personal journey and passion that led him to research walking
-Lessons we can learn from the Japanese culture and incorporate into our lives
-Dr. O’Mara’s daily walking routine
-The relationship between sleep and walking

Also mentioned in this episode:

For more on Dr. Shane O’Mara:

This episode is brought to you by:

Timestamps:
0:00 | How To Prevent Decline
4:00 | Heal Your Brain & Body
20:00 | Stop Aging Your Brain
26:05 | Walking & Fat Loss
32:30 | Do This After Eating
39:30| Try This Today
59:30 | Increase Your V02 Max
1:06:08 | Longevity Formula
1:28:00 | Fix Your Sleep

[toddsumner]

I have averaged 9.2 miles a day for consecutive 687 days. I have reduced my anxiety and depression. I stopped running no more injuries. Life is more consistent. Family and friends think I am nuts when I am walking in hurricanes or below freezing weather however it’s the consistency that is the key to happiness and heart health.

[rosepaul]

My dad is very strong after walking for many kilometers everyday he has never complained of back ache or knee ache..he doesn't use a walking stick .he's now 86 and strong

[mmhervey]

I will be 84 this Wednesday. I walk almost every day for 3 miles or about 7;200 steps a day. I’m going to increase it to 7;500 steps. I seldom get depressed and a big benefit for me is I know almost all of my neighbors. Since I live by myself this helps me a lot.

[roxanneholt-abernathy]

My mom just turned 91. She's loved to walk ever since I was a child. She still walks daily and even mows her own lawn. She's pretty amazing and too look at her you would think she was 70.

[davkatjenn]

I understand where people could enjoy listening to books or podcasts while they are walking, but I prefer to not be attached to anything because I love the sound of the birds and squirrels and during the fall and winter I love the sound of the leaves crunching under my feet and the sound of the snow crunching too. I lost forty pounds since I started walking in 2011 and have kept it off.

[patrickvanmeter]

I walk and run every day at least 45 minutes. Sometimes twice a day. I'm 82 and have been doing this way before it had become fashionable. I do it because I love it.

[franklinhopkinsjr]

I’m 61 and I started walking 4 to 5 miles every day like two years ago. It’s been the best exercise I have ever done. I listen to books and podcasts while I walk. And I enjoy being outside. It actually bothers me mentally if I have to miss walking for some reason. I even tell customers I cannot meet until I walk…

[TheDutchButch]

Since two years I stopped using alcohol and walk every day between 7 and 10 km. I lost 40 (+/- 22 lbs ) and never felt physically and mentally stronger before as I do now! I used to hate walking. Now I'm hooked, listen a lot of usefull podcasts while I'm walking so I get educated, understand myself better and therefore others. I became the person I always hoped I'd be! Great show! 🙏🏻

[jovenibarra]

Walk for health, walk for life. Priceless, inexpensive.

[Nicholas-ewcv]

I am a 76 y/o male, Greek-American retiree living on a Greek island in the middle of the Aegean Sea. I take an hour-and-a-half walk every afternoon in the countryside and foothills of the mountains behind my home and look forward to it every day.

My walk takes me past open fields where sheep, goats, cattle, horses and donkeys graze quietly. Before leaving my home, I sometimes stick a few carrots in my pocket to feed to them...they love them! The latter mile or two of my walk is on a paved road where passing motorists in cars, trucks or on motorcycles have come accustomed to seeing me every day and toot their horns, smile and wave at me as they drive past. I think my love for walking originated back in my early teens when I was an active member of the 'Boy Scouts of America' and all the weekend hikes we used to take. Today, my daily walks help me stay fit and healthy and it's exercise that I really enjoy.

[davkatjenn]

I found myself overweight and sedentary at age 58 and I knew I had to do something to change and I thought of walking, swimming and bike riding, but walking only required a good pair of shoes and I could do it everyday. I have walked over 35, 000 miles since 2011 and I walk ten miles a day. I am 71 years old in ten days and I love my time walking. It is such a great time to think and I have seen so many things that I never would have seen otherwise. I have walked at -! degrees and at 104 degrees (although at the high temperatures I don't walk over a mile) and during the summer months I get up at 4:30am and am out walking at 5:00am. I love it. I won't quit.

[ronsmith]

I agree. I was walking 11, 000 steps a day and my cardiologist said I wasn't working hard enough from an exercise test on his treadmill. So I have been trying to elevate my heart rate. My Fitbit measures the Zone Minutes where my heart rate elevates above 91 beats per minute. Initially it was easy to elevate my heart rate above 91bpm but as I became more fit, it was much harder to get my heart rate up. I was my wife's carer with her MS for almost all 26 years and I have had a heart attack and pneumonia as a result. She has now passed. I am now getting much more fit. I am 76.

[normgillespie]

Dont know how far I walk but after 3 years of walking 1.5 to 2 hrs every morning my fitness, brain, eyes, , awesome improvement. Retired 3plus yrs ago and now have time to exercise.

[guitarpick]

Wonderful information here. I'm a 71 yr old male American walking one brisk mile first thing a day every day. Luckily, I have access to an indoor track so weather is of moderate concern. What I've found is it's not just about the number of steps per day, but the pace you walk those steps. I'm now at about 2000 steps (one mile) in 18 minutes and have never felt more energetic and invigorated in my entire life. What I'm most worried about is being compromised due to age or health and can't continue this daily walk schedule. I listen to headphone music when I walk, so I'm dancing the whole way.

[cotton-xbxp]

In Singapore, we have good covered pathways to walk, huge greens beautiful parks, reservoirs, and a close by island Sentosa, yet many people chose to watch TV, on their phones, eating almost all day as we have hundreds varieties of food and it is affordable, even taking a bus instead of walking for less then a mile.
They are on their electric cycle and cars.
We have the best and clean transport systems like the MRT, buses, and taxis.
It is because of convenience and affordable transport, people refuse to walk.
It is a chore for them.
We are so spoilt.
We have so many private and government hospitals yet we do not have enough beds.
Our clinics and private clinics are full everyday.
All because our people do not appreciate the gifts and convenience that our government had provided for us.
Most of our citizens prefer the convenience at home and good food.
Thank you for sharing.
This is so good for all of us.

[lisengel]

I Will share the walking routinrs of my family Living with my grandmother, grandfather, my mother and father. The Great inspiration for walking everyday as much as possible came from my grandmother who was a very joyfull Walker in Nature. So very early I Got this habit that walking together in Nature is a joy. This followed u’s nomatter what happened - I have continued this my whole life and now I am walking everyday with a good friend and feeling the are of Nature - and I am close to 80 now. Lets all keep walking 🌻😀

[charlesmackey]

Outstanding. As a Physician I have advocated this my entire career. Being now retired I need to personally utilize this advice more than ever. Thanks.

[brendacollins]

Ooh!! Look forward to listening to this while I walk!! 4 miles bright & early every morning then my day starts!🙂🙂

[batman]

i overcame major depression and anxiety attacks with letting go of alc and starting exercise daily for just 20 minutes...

[myroom]

I have an autoimmune disease, severe allergies ( am on immunology injections ), aching legs and myocarditis schizophrenia etc and so forth. When I’m able, a good walk lifts the mood, gets the brain thinking and sorting out thoughts etc. it’s also good if one has a dog : my daughter and I sometimes go for a night walk, and it’s a good way to catch up on what we’ve both been up to. ❤️❤️😊😊.