Mix it Up…for Brain Power

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As a personal trainer, I often advise my clients to mix up their exercise routines to keep their muscles and their mind challenged. Science has taught us that regular bouts of exercise produce adaptations in the neural connections between our brain and muscles. And we easily recognize these adaptations when we become stronger and have improved aerobic endurance. But even these improvements plateau if we do not mix things up in our activity routines every once in a while.

So how do we overcome plateaus? We overcome plateaus by disrupting our regular routines. Planned, purposeful disruption is strong medicine for creating healthy neural pathways. By adding something new to our exercise or movement routines, we create opportunities for our brains to adapt (reroute and rewrite neural pathways) when we integrate novel movement patterns into our daily activities.

For example, one thing I always suggest my clients do to improve their balance is to switch sides when engaging in routine daily activities. In other words, I encourage them to use their non-dominant hands or legs. If you are right hand dominant, try using your left hand once a day to brush your teeth, write your name or use your computer mouse. Likewise, notice which leg you tend to put into your pants first when you dress…then switch it up once in a while. Making these simple changes recruits and strengthens NEW neural connections.

If switching sides feels awkward or uncomfortable, that is normal, and the
reason we feel ‘off balance’ when we use our non-dominant limbs to do everyday activities is because we have, by years and years of preference, created a strong neural pathway (preference), and this preference is now COMFORTABLE. But from my perspective, comfortable equates to easy which equates to weakness which equates to imbalance; and imbalance is almost always a foundation not only for injury but also for illness. So remember, once in a while, a purposeful disruption needs to be introduced into your day. I hope you will have fun with this and choose to engage in some practical disruption soon. It’s good for your brain. It’s good for your body!

This is the first post in the brain power series. If you want to learn about more ways to improve your brain power, then follow my blog and have notification of my posts sent directly to your email.

The Ripple Effect

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The other day I came across a news item in Runner’s World had which told the story of one man’s determination to finish a 5K race every month in 2015. The story began with Derek Mitchell’s last place finish at the Kansas City Big 12 5K. Some folks might not be so keen to have this sort of story told about themselves. But for Derek Mitchell, he’s a man on the move…a man who currently weighs in around 570 pounds. He was tempted to quit before he completed the first mile, but he kept his mental focus on his goal…crossing the finish line.

Derek’s story reminded me of so many things that are important to keeping us on track when we set our sights on a future goal. But two things seemed most critical: practice (training) for the race event and having a support system (family, friends, peers). These two components can be boiled down to one element: Accountability.

Practice that perfects our ability involves deliberate intention…in other words ACTION is required. And purposeful action engenders accountability. In Derek’s case, he let the world-wide community know about his intentions and his monthly goal. That is a bold, brave and effective strategy for him to embrace; but this is a behavior which all true goal seekers intuitively perform.

Additionally, when we make ourselves accountable to another or to others, we certify and solidify for ourselves our intentions. But there is a bonus effect…a ripple effect if you will. When we engage others in our goal setting, we have the potential to inspire those with whom we have gathered around our plan. Sometimes those inspired are curious onlookers or strangers, as in Derek’s case. Sometimes those inspired are family members, co-workers, or friends. Most times though, we never know who will be caught up in our momentum and motivated to implement similar goals for themselves.

Accountability separates the wishers in life from the action-takers that care enough about their future to account for their daily actions. John Di Lemme

In physics there is a law of conservation of energy which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed from one form to another. If energy conservation is real in the physical world, it is also true in the unseen world of the body/mind/spirit. If we consider that energy is changed from one form to another (from thought to physical action), then we realize that our physical action activates changes not only in ourselves (body/mind/spirit), but our energies also radiate to those whom we encounter enroute to our goal.

Consider the ripple effect a gentle breeze has upon those things within its path. We see its consequence when we watch leaves, twigs, brush and bramble dance across open ground in the presence of this invisible energy source. Likewise, as we move with intention towards our goals, we transform energy from thought to body, from invisible to visible. Not only do we propel ourselves toward our intended goals but others may be moved by our energy in the ripple and wake of our efforts…sometimes so much so that they are caught up with us in our vision. Whether seen or unseen, our intentional energies have the potential to transform not only our lives but also the lives of others; and this begins with every determinate act we make towards the finish line.

Go Outside…For a Change

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motivational-business-quotes

When I get stuck in a rut, physically, mentally, or spiritually, the thing that gets me unstuck best is to go outside…outside of my house, outside of my routines, outside of my comfortable thinking. Getting outside of me gives me a fresh perspective and outlook on life. When I exercise outside and breathe deeply of the crisp morning air, I expose myself, my physical and spiritual body, to the natural elements of the earth. It is then that I realize how very connected I am to the earth, and to its mysteries and rhythms. I reap much physical and emotional energy from trekking outdoors. By going outside, my muscles and my mind must work in unison as I forge against hill and dale, sun and wind, smooth and rough, road and trail.

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Similarly, when I get stuck in a mental rut I find it helpful to get outside of my own head and give my mind new places to roam. Reading authors and genres to which I do not normally gravitate gives me fresh perspectives and insights into how others think and perceive. Changing things up when it comes to music, movies, and food provides similar benefits. I like to think of going ‘outside’ of myself as a way to inoculate myself from the dread condition of stagnancy; to be stagnant is to be unchanged and unchanging…it is so nearly like death. And so anytime I need some creative flow, or whenever I’m feeling the blues of status quo, I try to mix things up for myself. I try to get outside of my normal, whatever that may be, which I have so carefully set up around my life and I open a door and go outside…for a change.

Every Day a Test

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Who says, “I Love Test Day”? No one ever! For most students, pop quizzes, tests, or final exams usually bring on uncomfortable physical symptoms like sweaty palms and upset stomaches. Athletes often experience similar physical discomforts when they are tested…on race day! Before I started entering running races, I never understood why anyone who runs for fun or fitness would willingly put themselves through the anxiety of running a race. Why would anyone sign up for such distress and discomfort? Well, fast forward a year and I’ve since entered over a dozen running races, and now I think I get the answer to that question. Runners show up for races like students show up for exams–to prove what they have learned…inside and outside of the classroom. Is it possible to look forward to these ‘exam days’ without dread and fear? I believe so; but only if you and I have properly prepared for the test by spending quality time in training or study. How do we know if we are ready for exam day? I know I am ready to be tested when I have confidence…confidence in the quality of my training or my study time. This assurance is not a feeling I try to muster or hope for in order to fake myself out. I either know for certain that I am ready or not; if there is any doubt in my heart or head, then I most certainly know that I am not ready; my sweaty palms and upset stomach is evidence enough. To be tested on the race route, in the classroom, or in our everyday lives, creates something like a finish line for us. The finish line is the terminus of a training cycle or academic semester. It is the culmination of all the days and weeks we have spent absorbing and synthesizing knowledge, whether that knowledge is physical, psychological or spiritual. If we embrace our test days as opportunities to consolidate and prove our training, then we can face the finish line with a confident smile on our face and cheerful exuberance in our heart.
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An Invitation to Revolution

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Definition: revolution (n.) a sudden, complete or marked change in something

Whether or not we like it, growth (physical, mental, social, spiritual) requires revolution; a change in direction or movement or thought. There can be no progress, no creative flow, no gains in health or fitness without change. It is notable too, that all of creation, both visible and invisible, is designed to thrive in the realm of change. The seasons and their regular permeations support the growth cycles of all living things in the seas and on the land. Our bodies are best nourished when we eat those foods that grow in season; a diet limited in variation is a diet destined to promote disease and ill health.

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new. Socrates

In the realm of education, business, and fine arts, the finest programs mosaic curriculums across a spectrum of specialties and fields of concentration to promote students who are flexible in thought and process. A similar approach is used when designing a comprehensive exercise program. The best plans are those that integrate a mixture of activities that encourage the building of strength, cardio-respiratory endurance, flexibility, and balance into our physical bodies.

Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature’s delight. Marcus Aurelius

If change is so central to how the world turns, then why do we so resist it? Why do we insist on becoming set in our ways? If change is integral to growth, and growth is the essence of vitality, then surely we must revise our perspective on this inevitability or suffer stagnation and regression in every area of our life. If we have breath to breathe, then it’s not too late to adopt a positive mindset towards the changes we face in life.

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
Wayne Dyer

Simple things like choosing a new genre in regards to the types of books, movies and activities in which we engage can prime and supercharge us for new areas of learning and creativity. One thing is for certain in life, that change visits us all with alarming regularity. While some may say that all change is not necessary to growth, I would rather submit that all change is our invitation to choose growth and even perhaps a small revolution!

 

Rules! Rules! Rules!

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Who likes rules? Why do we need rules? What are they good for? Why do we like breaking them? Must we have so many rules? Are we, in this enlightened 21st century still in need of endless lists telling us what to do; where, when and how and why to do something? Have you noticed that no matter your profession or station in life…there are rules (either implied or written) to live by. No matter your age or stage, rules are everywhere erected. If you’re a driver of an automobile, there are rules that govern how you must move your vehicle about the streets. If you engage in sports, there are rules that guide your chosen game of play. If you are a writer, a teacher, a lawyer, an engineer, a scientist, a parent or a child, there are rules for you to behold and live by. If you are the least bit interested in having a healthy body, there are rules that tell you what to eat, when to eat, how to eat, and where to eat. And of course there are rules that tell us how much sleep and awake time we should take as well as how much movement (exercise) we should engage in compared to our non-moving activities. Rules….rules…rules…they are everywhere!
The sheer magnitude of rules must give evidence to the fact that they are necessary and helpful in guiding us how best to live; but honestly, if we believe that rules are so important, why do we take such fiendish delight in breaking them? Ah, this question does strike at the very core of human nature does it not? We crave rules! We want some thing, some one, some code to tell us what is right or what is best in regards to conducting our lives. As much as we like to have choices, we also want security in knowing that a certain decision or behavior is supported by others. As much as we push against rules, we really do seem to need them don’t we? Having rules to live by means that many people down through the ages have thought long and hard about what it takes to make living together in a society happy and safe; whether it be a team sport, or club, or business or? When we look at rule making from this perspective, having rules to live by really does provide us with a sense of security and safety…especially if we know and believe that those with whom we interact also value a shared set of rules. It seems to me that we love rules so much because they show us that we are capable of thinking, perceiving, and reflecting about what matters to us. If we were automatons without intellect, we would have no need for rules. Our existence would be ‘guided’ by lines of code written onto our hard drive memory banks.
So I guess rules aren’t so bad after all. Maybe we should learn to embrace the rules of life with a positive perspective rather than with disdain. Should we try never to break a rule? Probably not…but at least we can appreciate that they are in place to add to our happiness and not take away from it.

“People who play by the Rules seem to bring their luck with them, light up a room when they enter, have more enthusiasm for life, and cope better.”
Richard Templar, in The Rules of Life.

Rule Reading Fun:  The Runner’s Rule Book by Mark Remy
The Rules of Life by Richard Templar