Fitness Isn't Just Physical: The Importance Of Exercising Your Brain
Each day without even thinking about it, we walk, lift, bend and breathe. I don't know about you, but when I feel out of shape, I change what I feed myself and focus on exercise. Whole-body fitness includes exercising our minds. Without strong brains, we face cognitive decline.
Lately, I run from meeting to meeting, finding my energy dipping and creativity not as heightened as I would like. Although I schedule myself "thinking time," it is often over-booked by more meetings. I needed a change and took a day to focus on myself — after all, we are called human BEINGS, not human DOINGS. This brain break helped me come back to my work revived, energized, more focused, alert and happier.
Exercising the brain not only strengthens neural pathways but also builds new ones. Neural pathways are where our memories live. The goal is to strengthen pathways with good habits, thoughts and actions. Have you ever heard of neuroplasticity? Neuroplasticity means our brains have this amazing ability to modify connections and literally rewire themselves.
Holistic means to be focused on how separate parts of something are intimately connected together and do not truly function when they are apart. Therefore, to be whole — and healthy — we must focus on what makes us human: mind, soul and body.
Here are some tips I recommend for exercising your brain and creating strong pathways.
Mind
Working on puzzles can improve your mental speed and short-term memory. Study a foreign language or build your vocabulary by learning a new word each day. This will improve concentration and focus and even helps develop new areas of your mind. Read something engaging to activate not only the part of your brain that comprehends words, but also areas of your brain where imagination thrives. Your mind can travel in the pages of a great book. You can also travel to somewhere you have never been!
Thanks to innovations stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic, there are so many free websites where you can travel to places all over the world from the comfort of your own home. It may not be the same as being somewhere in person, but you can still explore museums and places you may have never known about before. Traveling and experiencing new places is thought to improve and increase mental stimulation.
Soul
Have relationships with people who lift your mind higher. Smile more. Appreciate simple things like wildflowers, birds, wildlife or moving clouds. Express gratitude. Practice mindfulness. Although it is called mind-ful-ness, this is the art of making your mind less full. Why does this help? When you are in a deep state of meditation, mindfulness or prayer, this slows down brain activity. This restful time helps our brains increase their own plasticity because while you are resting, your brain isn't. Your brain is actually reorganizing itself. This is a healthy way to exercise your mind while also resting your body.
Praying is a form of mindful meditation. When you are engaged in prayer, you can activate neural pathways that have always been present in your brain. Activating these areas of the mind releases hormones called oxytocin. Focus and intentionality also increases when we are engaged in prayer.
You should also breathe with intention. Breathing not only transports healthy oxygen to our brains, it also ignites electrical activity which helps us remember things. Take a moment right now — yes, right now — and try some deep breathing and focus on the moment you are in. We do not breathe fully as much as we should. Try to take in deep breaths to the count of five, hold five, and release five at least five times a day. The oxygen is so nourishing to our brains. There is some research that says even just 30 minutes of simple meditation and breathing can increase the amount and density of gray matter in our brains. The gray stuff is the part of the brain that is most associated with learning.
Body
Exercise your physical body. Your brain is part of your body and exercise is not only good for your exterior, but it is also good for your brain. How? When you increase your heart rate and blood flow, you actually release more oxygen to the cells that live in your brain. Take a quiet walk. Notice things all around you when you are walking. It is not about the destination, but the journey.
The Power Of Music
It has been said that if you want to firm up your body, head to the gym. If you want to exercise your brain, listen to music. I would like to suggest that music can be intertwined in all of the above. Music is a very important part of my life and can also help you exercise your wholeness.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, music provides a total brain workout. Their research has shown that listening to music reduces anxiety, blood pressure and pain, as well as improves sleep quality, mood, mental alertness and memory. “There are few things that stimulate the brain the way music does,” says one Johns Hopkins otolaryngologist. “If you want to keep your brain engaged throughout the aging process, listening to or playing music is a great tool. It provides a total brain workout.”
Brain pathways strengthen when they are used and diminish when they are not. According to Harvard, music activates all brain regions and networks. They further explored that listening to and performing music reactivates areas of the brain associated with memory, reasoning, speech, emotion and reward. In two recent studies (USA and Japan), it was explored that music not only helps our minds recollect stored memories, but it also helps us forge new pathways to create new and lasting memories.
Final Thoughts
If you want to improve your overall well-being and mental fitness, learning, cognitive function, quality of life, peace, joy and happiness, you should listen to music; exercise your whole body; be mindful of what you think, say, feel and eat; love yourself and others; and remember to always keep growing.
BY Denise Russo
Denise Russo is a global leader of Coaching, Learning, Leadership & Talent Development at SAP & an Exec. Director on The John Maxwell Team.