Walking and metabolic rate

Walking burns calories, and the faster you walk, the more you burn. But speed isn't the only factor in losing weight by walking. You "have to reach 65 to 70 percent of your body's maximum heart rate to substantially improve your fitness and burn serious calories," according to "The Complete Guide to Walking." Because people burn calories differently, your weight, metabolism and intensity of exercise are also factors in burning 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound.

Music Therapy and Visual Processing

Music Therapy and Visual Processing

Visual neglect is the inability to recognize objects in part of the visual field due to lesions in the visual cortex. Specifically, a lesion in one hemisphere produces neglect in the opposite visual field (so a stroke in the left visual cortex would result in one being unable recognize objects in the right visual field, and vice versa). In one study of stroke patients experiencing visual neglect, listening to pleasant music resulted in both better mood and a statistically significant improvement in their ability to describe the color and shape of geometric objects presented via computer. No such effects were observed when patients sat in silence or when they were presented with music that they did not like.

Further examination with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) confirmed that listening to pleasant music activated a number of different brain areas, including those involved in visual processing.