• Power walking could be the key to a long, healthy life, with a lower risk of dementia and disease.
• New research on "super movers" suggests their longevity secret is keeping a brisk pace after age 80.
• A neurologist shares how to walk your way to antiaging benefits in as little as 30 minutes a day.

As a neurologist, Dr. Joe Verghese is all about finding creative strategies for a healthier brain — especially when it helps simplify his workout routine.

"I don't always enjoy exercising, or the idea that I have to do it regularly," he told Business Insider.

In pursuit of a healthier brain, he's tried everything from balance tests to ballroom dancing (after his studies found it may help stave off dementia).

Now, the Stony Brook University researcher is aiming to become a "super mover," a rare demographic of people 80 and older who have an exceptionally fast walking speed for their age — and live uniquely long, healthy lives.

According to his studies, persistent speediness may have a protective effect on the brain and body, Verghese said.

By studying them, he hopes to learn not just how our bodies and minds deteriorate as we age, but what we can do about it.

"Aspiring to be a fast mover, a super mover is a good thing because it has not only benefits for the brain, it has benefits for the rest of the body too," he said.

Move fast, slow aging

Super movers are defined as people who can keep pace with someone decades younger, like an 80-year-old walking at the speed of an average 50-year-old, Verghese explained.

His most recent study, published in the journal Neurology, found that super movers are 50% less likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers. Another of his studies found that super movers had a younger biological age than their years would suggest, and lower rates of heart disease, depression symptoms, and hearing loss.

Brisk walking has long been linked to longevity, so that wasn't a surprise. What was intriguing, Verghese said, were the autopsy results of people who died during the study. After death, super movers were just as likely to show age-related wear and tear in their brain tissue as their slower-walking peers. On average, though, they showed fewer symptoms of cognitive decline during their lifetimes.

Verghese was inspired to seek out super movers based on previous research on super-agers, people who retain the physical and mental spryness of someone much younger, in part because of lucky genetics. And as with super movers, studies on super-agers' brains have similar rates of deterioration on average, with fewer symptoms.

However, only 19% of super movers are also super-agers. That suggests there may be multiple strategies to protect your brain from aging, Verghese said. More research could help provide personalized recommendations for an antiaging plan.

"You might have some unique resilience mechanisms that might prevent you from showing those effects," he said.

Power walking for a healthy brain

Most importantly, you may not need to win the genetic lottery to be a super mover.

Verghese found evidence that super movers were speedy before they reached age 80. While genetics likely play a role, getting comfortable with a brisk walking pace now will make you more likely to maintain it and become a super mover later, he said.

To walk your way to longevity, your pace should be around 3 miles per hour, studies suggest, and faster may be better.

Aim for at least 30 minutes a day, in line with the CDC's recommended 150-300 minutes of moderate activity a week.

"You don't have to do the 30 minutes in one go. You can split it up. 10 minutes is better than zero minutes," Verghese said.

• Kasia Kovacs was unsure hiring a personal trainer would be worth the money.
• Nearly a decade later, she's still reaping the benefits of splurging $180 on training.
• She said investing in her health helped her become a more confident, happier version of herself.

When I hired a personal trainer in 2017, I didn't expect that decision to change my life.

It seemed like a hefty financial commitment at the time, but I had the rather cliché goal of slimming down and I was determined to get my money's worth.

Sure, I lost a few pounds, but that soon became unimportant. More significantly, I got stronger, the fog that had plagued my mental health lifted, and I developed healthy habits that I keep almost a decade later.

As a self-proclaimed gym hater, it wasn't easy to get started

I'd never considered myself particularly athletic.

I played a couple of sports and danced ballet growing up, but these were extracurricular hobbies. I was far more interested in reading books and flipping through magazines.

Because of that, weightlifting seemed like a foreign language reserved for bodybuilders. And the gym? That was hostile territory.

Early in 2017 I had moved to Bluffton, South Carolina, a town that was pretty but sleepy, especially after the constant stimulation of NYC where I had lived before. I was 26 years old, and all of a sudden I found myself with too much free time.

So when my roommate suggested that I join her in the gym, I took her up on that offer. It still felt scary, but going with a friend made it less intimidating.

That's when I met my roommate's personal trainer, Josie. She was a friendly young woman, defying my stereotype of the gym bro. It didn't take long before I was Josie's newest client.

Working with the right personal trainer shifted my priorities

I paid $180 for a few sessions a month, which felt like a hefty commitment for a early-career local newspaper reporter. I cringed when I saw the fee, but I reminded myself that I could just try it out and quit if it became financially overwhelming.

Josie taught me everything: workout structure, proper warm up practices, basic strength training movements, and how to use those weightlifting machines that looked like medieval torture devices.

She explained concepts like progressive overload, lifting until failure, and taught me about the importance of protein before it became a marketing buzzword.

We tracked my workouts in a notebook, and once a month we did a weigh in.

To my surprise, I became less interested in the number on the scale and more interested in the numbers in my workbook. I always wanted to beat my performance from the session before.

I also remember when I began to see the muscle definition in my arms and shoulders — seeing my body actually respond to my workouts was exhilarating. I no longer wanted to be skinny; I wanted to be strong.

Beyond seeing the physical changes in my body, I felt like I was soaring after my workouts. I struggled with anxiety in my twenties, and working out lightened my day-to-day mental load significantly.

I stuck with personal training sessions for nine months, from October to July, before I moved away from South Carolina.

Nearly a decade later, I've kept those habits

These days my life looks very different.

I'm in my thirties. I live in London. My anxiety is not as acute as it used to be. I have a dynamic social life.

But one habit remains: I go to the gym regularly.

I may have only worked with a personal trainer for less than a year, but that short time equipped me with skills I've consistently used over the past near-decade: specifically, correct form in lifting weights and aiming for progressive overload.

Now I pay £53, or about $71, for my gym membership each month, which is a reasonable rate in a city like London — and less than I paid for a personal trainer in 2017. It's a lot less expensive than if I relied on classes alone, which can cost £15-£35 ($20-$47) per single class in London.

I commit to two to four strength training days per week, plus I take yoga classes as part of my gym membership and run regularly in my neighborhood parks. Cross-training means I take a holistic approach to movement, keeping my muscles, heart, and mind strong.

Now that I'm older and have learned more about health in general, I can appreciate other benefits too: maintaining my mobility as I age, an improved metabolism, better cardiovascular health, and the decreased risk of several illnesses including osteoporosis.

3 lessons I've learned from personal training and my fitness journey:

• I stopped comparing myself to others. I'm not the strongest, and I'm not the fastest. I never will be. But I can be stronger and faster than I was last week, and that's enough.
• As a perfectionist, I struggle to admit when I'm bad at something. When I started weightlifting I was a total beginner. I was bad at it! And, lo and behold, it was okay to be bad at something! Now I know that I'm always getting better, and I've implemented that growth mindset in other areas of my life too.
• On a related note, jumping into the gym world taught me that our identities are not fixed. When I was younger, I convinced myself that I was the bookworm, not the jock. But in reality, we have the ability to stay curious and learn new things, and our sense of identity can — and should! — evolve.

Hiring a personal trainer was the best money I've ever spent. But the payoff was much bigger than anything financial: I invested in my health and become a more confident, happier version of myself.

• Winston Hall works out seven days a week and spends up to five hours a day outside on his bike.
• The 77-year-old has been super-fit since he was drafted into the US Army during the Vietnam War.
• He wants other seniors to follow his lead by gradually increasing their movement.

This interview is based on a conversation with Rena Clare, 67, a retired professional photographer from Omaha, Nebraska. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I wasn't particularly sporty in high school. Golf was just about it. The whole idea of fitness or having a healthy lifestyle wasn't much of a concept.

Then, in 1969, I was drafted into the US Army, assigned to the First Cavalry Division, and completed basic training before being deployed to Vietnam.

I enjoyed running

In basic training, you had to run three miles before breakfast. Then, during the day, you were always on your feet.

I found that I really enjoyed running and looked forward to doing it. It made me feel more energetic. But I hadn't really connected the dots when it came to food. I ate a standard American diet, including red meat and potatoes.

After three years in the military, I returned to my college studies before becoming a full-time professional photographer. My workplace was nine miles from home, and I'd usually cycle there. I found it fun.

Meanwhile, my father was having severe health issues, and I didn't want to go through the same thing. I started thinking more about the role of diet and stopped having meat altogether.

Still, midway through my career in the late 80s, I realized I was getting out of shape. My job took me around the world, and I stayed in hotels where it was hard to choose what to eat.

I became more focused through exercise

I knew I felt better and more focused after exercising, so I'd use the hotel gym. If it didn't have one and I couldn't get outside, I'd run around the parking garage.

It could be 8 p.m. or later, and the security guards would stop me and ask what I was doing.

Movement became a regular part of my life. I ran or biked as much as I could to expend any pent-up energy. After a while, I started doing more endurance cycling and running in biathlons.

One of the best things I've done is go on bikepacking trips. They're exhilarating, like an adventure. I have a small, lightweight tent which I keep in a pannier. It compacts nicely until you set up camp for the night.

I have a household gym

Last summer, I went to Colorado and would ride from the campground every day to visit new places. I also bicycle a lot in my home state of Nebraska, as well as Minnesota, Iowa, and Kansas.

Back home, I have a gym on the lower level of my house, where I work out seven days a week. Also, when the weather is good, I can spend up to five hours outside on my bike, particularly along gravel trails on disused railway tracks.

I weight train three days a week before moving to the treadmill or stationary bike. On the other four days, I do isometric-type exercises and core work.

I adopted a whole-food, plant-based diet — part vegetarian, part vegan — and enjoy cooking for my wife, Sharon, and me. Typically, I'll have two meals a day.

Breakfast is usually between 10 and 11 a.m., consisting of oatmeal with chia and hemp seeds, soy milk, and fresh fruit.

Society can ignore people my age

I don't snack in the afternoon. Then, around 5:30 p.m., I'll either prepare a salad with beans for protein or a dish like rice and beans. I like to finish eating at least three hours before going to bed.

Recently, I was thrilled to learn that Senior Planet, an AARP initiative, appointed me as one of its 2026 Sponsored Athletes, working to redefine what it means to stay active in later life.

Society has somehow bought into the idea that, once we reach retirement, we're irrelevant, disappear, and no longer contribute.

And many people my age let themselves go, thinking it's the beginning of a decline.

Firstly, I don't believe that's true, and it's a great opportunity to make the most of the time you have on your hands. Secondly, I want to inspire and motivate older people to get out and about and find adventures.

You don't have to start big. It's good to increase your movement gradually. Please believe me when I say it's never too late to get healthy — and feel more alive — through diet and exercise.