Exercise does more than just keep your body fit. It also plays a crucial role in maintaining and enhancing your brain health.
Renowned researcher, Henriette van Praag, has shown that exercise can stimulate the growth of new brain cells. Her research, conducted on mice, led her to take exercise more seriously as a tool for cognitive enhancement. It’s not just about building muscles or losing weight; it’s about building a healthier, more robust brain.
Regular physical activity triggers the release of neurotransmitters like epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin, which are known to elevate mood and improve cognition.
But the benefits don’t stop there. Consistent exercise over time not only enhances cognitive test scores but also offers protection against neurodegenerative diseases.
How?
When we exercise, blood flow increases to the brain. More blood flow, more blood vessels grow. In addition, our exercised muscles release a hormone called irisin. Irisin has neuroprotective effects that can defend against conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Another key player is a protein called BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor). Exercise increases the levels of BDNF , supporting neuron health and the formation of synapses – the junctions where nerve cells communicate. Together with more blood vessels, this could potentially offset brain volume loss associated with aging and protect against diseases like Alzheimer’s.
So what’s the lesson here?
~Move~
Exercise brings comprehensive benefits for body as well as brain health and cognitive function. So next time you’re thinking about skipping that workout, remember: you’re not just doing it for your body; you’re doing it for your brain, too!
We typically think of it in terms of our bodies – tightening our abdominal muscles. But engaging one’s physical core reminds us that strength and a steadfast sense of self come from within. That’s why engaging your core can also be a mental and organizational strategy in which you focus on your values, goals, and strengths.
How can engaging these three cores help?
Physically, engaging your core activates the deep muscles that support your spine and pelvis. By honing in on this crucial foundation, you unlock a multitude of benefits, enhancing your balance, stability, and performance.
Mentally, it boosts your confidence, clarity, and resilience. A fully engaged mental core empowers you to navigate life’s inevitable challenges with confidence and grace.
Organizationally, it aligns your vision, mission, and culture. An engaged organizational core taps into a wellspring of innovation, teamwork, and adaptability, propelling both individuals and the organization forward.
How can you engage your core(s)? Here are some tips:
– In addition to externally exercising those muscles, use breathing exercises that activate your diaphragm, abdominal muscles, and pelvic floor. – Identify (and recommit often to) your core competencies and values, and use them as a guide for your decisions and actions. Leverage them to create value and impact. – Communicate your core message and purpose to yourself, your audience, and stakeholders.
Engaging your core(s) is not a one-time thing. It’s a continuous process that requires awareness, intention, and action.
The payback from engaging your core comes quickly. Not only does it create consistency in your personal and organizational identity (i.e.brand) , it makes you more stable – more able – to withstand what the world throws at you as you move forward with purpose, confidence and grace.
Creativity is a highly valued skill in the 21st century, but sometimes harnessing it seems elusive.
However, there is a natural way to boost your creativity by tapping into the power of anandamide, a brain chemical that has been dubbed the “bliss molecule”.
Anandamide is one of the endocannabinoids, compounds that are produced by our own body and act on the same receptors as THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. Anandamide goes hand in hand with the state of flow, the state of optimal focus and performance where you feel fully immersed and engaged in what you are doing.
Research shows that flow states are linked to increased creativity, learning, and problem-solving. And not just while you’re in flow. The effects of flow are felt long after the flow event.
So how does anandamide come into the creativity equation?
According to Steven Kotler, a leading expert on flow and author of “The Rise of Superman” and the “Art of Impossible”, anandamide works by opening up more lateral thinking, deepening access to data in our brains, allowing us to make connections between seemingly unrelated concepts (creativity!)
Anandamide also improves mood, memory, appetite, and pain perception, making us feel happier and more relaxed. This reduces stress and anxiety, which are known to inhibit creativity.
So how can you increase your anandamide levels?
Chocolate
Yes, chocolate – darker chocolate to be precise.
It contains small amounts of anandamide and other compounds that prolong its effects in the brain. But not all chocolate is equal. Choose dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao content, which has more antioxidants and less sugar and fat than milk or white chocolate.
The optimal dose of dark chocolate for health and creativity benefits is around 40 grams (about 1.5 ounces) per day, according to some studies. Some say it’s better to consume before and during creative tasks. Try and see what works best for you. There are worse experiments you can do 😁
Now, if you are anti-chocolate, you can also meditate or exercise outdoors. Both of these activities decrease stress, increases your anandamide levels, your mood quality, memory, and lateral thinking.
But it seems to me that dark chocolate is something that is easier (and tastier) to work into our daily schedules. Plus, you can share the gift of cacao creativity with friends and colleagues. 😊
ZenStorming 