Use Your Body and Mind for Brain Health: Try Orienteering

Interested in trying a new activity that trains both the body and mind? Orienteering, a sport in which participants find their way around a pre-set outdoor course using nothing but a map and a compass, might be just the thing. Not only is it fun, it offers particular benefits for older adults.

The sport, which is growing in popularity, stresses exercising navigation skills — which some studies show help improve memory and learning in people of all ages. Add in the benefits of time in nature, socializing and focused thinking, and orienteering may help our minds maintain and build neural connections in ways that other sports don’t.

In a 2023 study focusing on the activity, 158 adults between ages 18 and 87 were surveyed about their memory. About 70 percent of them were orienteers, with the rest being physically active people who did not orienteer. The respondents with orienteering experience reported better spatial navigation, a fundamental cognitive skill. And this could mean good things for aging brains: One of the areas of the brain most impacted by aging is the hippocampus, which is involved in memory and learning, two important things for spatial navigation.

Orienteering also has other great benefits, including a strong social element. The sport is enjoyed by people of all ages, with local groups available nationwide offering different skill level and age groupings.

Learn more about orienteering and how to get involved, visit this article on Staying Sharp.