I think part of the point is that even apparently-"mindless" exercise is now shown to also be good. See this paragraph:
> Previous studies have shown that activities that require fine motor control, such as playing a musical instrument, or that require high levels of hand-eye coordination, such as playing golf, can alter brain structure and function. However, fewer studies have looked at the effects of more repetitive athletic activities that don’t require as much precise motor control — such as running. Raichlen’s and Alexander’s findings suggest that these types of activities could have a similar effect.
fewer studies have looked at the effects of more repetitive athletic activities that don’t require as much precise motor control — such as running
Is it really true though that running doesn't require precise motor control? Every time I run, my feel "automatically" skip over imperfections in the road surface, placing my foot down early just before the big crack in the sidewalk, sidestepping the dog poop on the sidewalk, leaping off the curb while my eyes are focused on traffic.
And unlike the guy that plays golf where he's only focusing for a few minutes per hole, my feet are active for my entire one hour run and my mind is guiding my feet for 10,000 steps throughout the run.
It may be a different part of the brain than deciding how to hit a ball to reach a target 300m away, but there's still a lot of eye-foot coordination in running.
> Previous studies have shown that activities that require fine motor control, such as playing a musical instrument, or that require high levels of hand-eye coordination, such as playing golf, can alter brain structure and function. However, fewer studies have looked at the effects of more repetitive athletic activities that don’t require as much precise motor control — such as running. Raichlen’s and Alexander’s findings suggest that these types of activities could have a similar effect.