on September 12, 2016
You would likely know staying active is good for your health.
Did you know staying active is also important to protecting and improving the quality of your thinking?
Specifically:
- The quality of your memory; and
- Your ability to learn new things.
It does this by promoting neural plasticity, also called brain plasticity.
The Brain
A quick overview of your brain:
- Your brain is like a large connected information machine.
- Its job is to receive and send information.
- It sends and receives information using neurons, brain nerve cells.
- The sending and receiving of information is via cell connections.
In effect the connected neurons inside your brain act like a large information super highway sending and receiving information.
Neural plasticity
Neural plasticity is your brain’s ability to create new cell connections.
It allows your old and damaged neurons to be replaced and it allows new connections between your neurons to be formed.
Neural plasticity protects your memory. It is also required for you to new learn new things.
The key ingredient
Enter stage right, a substance called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, let’s use the acronym BDNF.
Research suggests BDNF:
- Has an important role in helping your nerve cells maintain, strengthen and create new connections.
- Is released when you exercise and in particular when you do interval type physical training.
The release of BDNF is important to your ability to learn new things and your ability to maintain and lay down new memory.
What is next?
Staying active is a key strategy for you to protect memory and enable new learning.
Stay active:
- To build fatigue and mood resilience, to improve your ability to deal with work demands.
- To protect the quality of your thinking; your memory and your ability to learn new things.
Good luck.
If you would like to explore how to improve your thinking capacity email or call me.