4 minute read
ACTIVE LIVING
Take out health insurance for your brain
It’s easy to get discouraged about exercise in the middle of winter. TRISTAN HALL explains why staying physically active is good insurance for brain health.
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Neuroscientist Dr Wendy Suzuki says exercise is the most transformative thing you can do for your brain today. The immediate benefits include increased levels of the mood-boosters dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline.
In a talk on the brain-changing benefits of exercise, she said mental focus improves so you get more done; reaction times speed up; and you are safer around trip hazards and other accidents.
Regular exercise changes your brain structure. Aerobic exercise gives the most benefit. The hippocampus, which stores memories, creates new cells and grows; as does the prefrontal cortex, which manages thinking, planning and problemsolving.
These changes are like health insurance. They can partially protect you from the effects of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
A longitudinal study from Sweden backs this up – 191 women were tested for cardiovascular fitness and were then assessed for neurological functioning every six years for 44 years.
The women who had higher cardiovascular fitness also had a lower risk of dementia. Women who were very fit in middle age had a 9.5 year delay in showing signs of dementia compared to those with moderate fitness levels.
As exercise improves mood and boosts energy, it becomes self-reinforcing. That’s great, but WINSTON Churchill is reported to have stated, “Never, never, never give up.”
I am sure the quote regardless of who said it has been used in various forms for years to help those who are finding a tough and rocky road.
My earliest experience of the same quote, albeit not related in any way to the Blitz over London or wars in general, came from a Sunday school story when I was about nine years old.
The gentleman who took us from the main church to a little hall around the corner but still attached to the church) told us a story about three mice.
The mice roamed around a little house in the country and one day they found a small tub with some cream in it. Eventually one after the other the mice fell into the tub of cream and had their fill.
When it came time to leave, the mice could not reach the rim of the tub of cream to escape. Floundering in the remaining cream they tried and tried to get out of the small tub of cream
getting started can be a challenge. Here are some suggestions:
Create your own walking group. If you are in charge, it’s easier to stay committed. Our brains love novelty so vary the locations.
Get together with a few friends and hire an exercise physiologist. The cost is less when shared and the fun is multiplied.
Set yourself a fitness target with a fundraising walk. The Stroke Foundation has a Scenic Rim fundraising walk from September17 - 20. October is Walk for Daniel month. Walk with friends and make a group donation. For extra motivation, pair it with breakfast at a café.
To prepare yourself for a walking event, join an exercise class at a local clinic or gym that focuses on walking. Targeted training will reduce your risk of injuries and boost your efficiency. Tristan Hall is an exercise physiologist with Full Circle Wellness. Call 0431 192 284 or visit fullcirclewellness.com.au
FIT HAPPENS With Tom Law
and eventually one of the mice gave up exhausted and slipped under the cream and drowned.
The two remaining mice tried jump after jump, to escape, both covered in cream but to no avail. After many attempts the second mouse gave up and drowned. The third mouse refused to give up and eventually found something solid underfoot. The cream had turned to butter. The constant agitation of the three mice then two, then one, had turned the cream to butter.
The third mouse rested on the butter, then when he was strong enough, he jumped clear out of the tub.
Of course, it is a simple story, and the moral of the story is to never give up, and this can be applied to so many things in life.
As a personal trainer I always encourage those that have an exercise regime to keep at it and obviously if you do not exercise regularly, to start as soon as you can. Tom Law is author of Tom’s Law Fit Happens. Visit tomslaw. com.au
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