Building a Better Brain

That’s right, you heard me correctly. YOU can build a better brain!

While I’m not advocating a Dr. Frankenstein approach to building a better brain, you have the capacity to change your brain (and the brains of your employees) – to build it up to better suit your needs.

Even the American Medical Association is jumping on the brain building bandwagon.

You see, it was accepted as gospel that when we were born, our brain was fixed. It was what it was, and it was only downhill from there.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

In a recent article in American Medical News, the newspaper for America’s physicians, it reports what we have known for a long time – the brain is dynamic and ever changing.

It’s called brain plasticity.

The plasticity of the brain is stimulated through novelty (i.e. – new experiences). In order to take advantage of this amazing property, you must constantly involve yourself in the participation of new activities.

When you challenge the brain with new skills and new ways of doing things, one of the things that increases are the connections in the brain – that is, it increases synaptic density.

Within the brain, the pathways and regions that are most utilized generally grow and become stronger while other parts that aren’t used shrink.

If, as you get older, you become set in your ways of doing your job (or anything else for that matter) and cease doing new things, your brain will shrink. And if you live long enough, you’ll begin to look like BeetleJuice. (Just kidding on the BeetleJuice reference, not the brain shrinkage one.)

Use it or lose it, baby.

The question then arises, what is the best (or most proficient) way in which to capitalize on this phenomenon?

According to the article, physical activity – moving – is one of the best ways to improve brain function. Not just any kind of moving, however, but movement with attention. Directed attention is one of the main drivers of the plasticity process.

And when participants are actively engaged in this process of applying awareness to their movements, balance, posture, coordination – and get this – cognition improve!

So it’s not simply that you’ll feel better and move better, which is an amazing outcome. This research shows that actively engaging in this type of activity will also improve your thinking ability, your reasoning abilities, as well as your memory.

Where do I sign up?!

Taking advantage of brain plasticity, and applying it to your and your company’s daily activities, will have positive effects on their productivity, and your bottom line. And your employees will be happier too!

LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING…
What are you or your company doing to take advantage of these amazing developments in brain science?

LET ME SUGGEST…
Send us an email and let us know what you do to keep your brain sharp and in a learning mode.

*****

Chad Estes
Movement Specialist
cestes@etmconsultants.com