You might be wondering, “Why do I include brain exercises in my body and brain group fitness workouts?
Isn’t exercise in general good for the brain?
Well, you’re absolutely right; exercise is indeed one of the best things you can do for your brain health.
However, when you combine intentional brain exercises with physical workouts, the benefits for your brain health multiply significantly.
As we embrace our life after 55, our focus shifts from how we look to how we age.
We worry about:
- maintaining our independence,
- avoiding falls and injuries,
- preserving our memory,
- staying mentally sharp, and
- ensuring our vision and hearing remain intact.
Combining physical exercise with brain (or cognitive) activities is a powerful way to ensure you have more control over how you grow older – it’s an investment in your present and future self. Reducing the chances of both physical and mental decline while enhancing your overall quality and quantity of life.
The Power of Cognitive Training
So, what exactly is cognitive training? Cognitive training focuses on the mental processes that enable us to interact with the world and adapt to life’s challenges. It involves activities that stimulate brain cells, fostering neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to change and adapt in response to new experiences.
In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, we encounter a barrage of external stimuli and internal emotions and sensations. To make sense of it all, our brains act as a mental filter and processor, a function known as cognition.
Cognition can be divided into four main domains:
- memory,
- attention,
- processing speed (or thinking speed), and
- executive function (planning, decision-making, and problem-solving).
In my unique approach to exercise, we simultaneously engage all four cognitive domains while also working on cardiovascular fitness and strength. This holistic approach to exercise, focusing on both body and brain, is gaining popularity.
It’s an extraordinary and exciting advancement in physical and brain health.
Embracing Neuroplasticity: Physical and Cognitive Training
Both physical and cognitive exercises create neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to change and adapt.
Our brains thrive when we engage in new and challenging activities, especially when they are enjoyable. When you combine exercise with planned cognitive training, the neuroplasticity effect is amplified.
Physical exercise promotes neurogenesis (the growth of new neurons) and synaptogenesis (formation of new connections between neurons), while cognitive activities target specific brain functions, directing the positive changes that occur.
As Dr. John Ratey suggests,
Exercise prepares your neurons to connect, while mental stimulation allows your brain to capitalize on that readiness.
Dr. Cody Sipe adds,
To maximize physical and cognitive improvement, combine physical exercise with cognitive challenges in a rich sensorimotor environment that includes social interaction and a whole lot of fun.
When you challenge both your body and brain simultaneously, you build physical and cognitive reserves, much like a fully charged battery in your mobile device.
Preparing for the Future
These physical and cognitive reserves serve as vital tools to prepare for the years ahead. They provide the muscle mass, strength and aerobic fitness required for daily activities and supply the right hormones and chemicals to combat inflammation—the underlying culprit behind illness and disease.
And the right amount of neural brain changes resulting in healthy cognitive function.
Studies have shown that individuals with significant cognitive reserves can lead normal lives even with signs of Alzheimer’s in their brains, such as amyloid plaques. Embracing positive aging beliefs further enhances this effect, as it encourages adopting healthy lifestyle habits.
A Return to Our Evolutionary Roots
This combination of physical and cognitive training aligns with our natural evolutionary history. Early humans survived and thrived by engaging both their bodies and brains in daily tasks. They needed spatial memory, sensory and attention systems, and processing speed to navigate their surroundings and secure food. Even crafting tools like spears required precise motor control and advanced cognitive functions.
Over millions of years, the individuals who did well in combining their brain and body capabilities were the ones who survived and thrived.
This ancestral wisdom underscores the need for this combined physical and cognitive training even in our modern times.
The Prescription for Ageless Brain Health
So, how much physical-cognitive training do you need?
Research shows that we should aim for around 60 minutes per week, split into three 20-minute sessions. This regimen maintained over a 12-week period, is recommended for achieving the desired changes in your physical and cognitive reserves.
In conclusion, embracing both physical and cognitive training is the ultimate investment in your health after the age of 55.
It’s a holistic approach that empowers you to have more control over how you age. Maintaining your independence and enhancing your overall quality of life.
So, let’s keep challenging our bodies and brains, relishing every moment of this exciting journey toward better health and vitality.
And if you’d like to find out more about this unique and effective approach to controlling how your age, here’s a link to my new eBook:
Keep Doing The Things You Love With The People You Love: 4 Unique Steps to control how your body & brain age.