• The Duke University Medical Center found that a brisk 30-minute walk or jog around a track three times a week was just as effective as antidepressant medication in relieving the symptoms of major depression in middle-aged and elderly people.

• A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine last year showed that older women who walked regularly were less likely to develop memory loss and other declines in mental function than women who were less active. Those who walked 18 miles or more per week fared best.

• According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, walking helps you maintain a positive outlook, and can make you look and feel younger.

• Walking increases the blood flow to the brain. A 1999 study of people over 60 found that walking 45 minutes a day at a 16-minute mile pace increased their thinking skills.

• The Mayo Clinic also has evidence that exercise positively affects the levels of certain mood-enhancing neurotransmitters in the brain. Exercise may also boost feel-good endorphins, release tension in muscles, help you sleep better and reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

FUN FACTS FOR A BETTER BODY

FUN FACTS FOR A GREENER PLANET

FUN FACTS FOR GETTING INSPIRED