If you want to protect your memory – and your brain – as you get older, start talking walks. After age 40, our brains lose about 5 percent of their volume each decade. In a new study from Colorado State University, published in the journal Neuroimage, researchers used MRI to assess the brains of walkers, dancers and people who did a variety of exercise. They found that participants who completed six months of regular brisk walks experienced improvements in brain white matter and memory. Certain parts of their brains associated with memory were larger compared to people who didn’t exercise. If you want to slow down the aging process, taking a walk outside each night might be a way to do it.