Get Moving

The phrase “Get moving” can mean something different for each of us. For some people it means getting up, walking on the treadmill, going for a bike ride or walking the dog. Unfortunately, for other people it means getting up, going to the bathroom and going back to the couch. So there is certainly a need to put this concept in perspective.

When it comes to proper brain function, movement is absolutely critical. Think about somebody you know that isn’t very mobile. They might be sedentary because they are bed ridden, have mobility issues or it might just be that they are plain lazy. Do their brains work as well as someone who is active, getting out and about all the time? 

The bottom line is that movement is essential for appropriate brain function. 

Chances are that you’ve heard the term “If you don’t use it, you lose it.”

The brain essentially is a relay station for sensory information. When we don’t have appropriate sensory information going into the brain from our muscles, joints, balance system and more, it starts to wear away and degenerate more rapidly than it should. In time it can cause the brain not to perform to its highest potential as you could imagine.  

The brain is stimulated by nerve fibers from several different sources. This includes senses like vision and hearing, as well as other sources. The nerve fibers that carry information from muscles and joints are by far the largest nerve fibers that supply the brain with the greatest amount of information. If you are inactive, you are cutting out your greatest amount of input to the brain. 

This will in turn reduce the efficiency of the output from the brain. This can manifest itself as physical problems, mental and emotional problems, cognitive and thinking problems, and memory decline. 

To stimulate the brain, you don’t need particularly intense activity. You can start out small. It might be going to the gym, taking a walk in the woods or on your streets. Just so long as you’re getting out there and getting moving.

Developing the habit of regular activity starts you building a foundation to explore other exercises and more intense activities that can have an even more significant positive impact on brain health.

Contributor Author: Dr. Michael Trayford is a Board Certified Chiropractic Neurologist and Founder of APEX Brain Centers in Asheville, NC. For more information, please visit www.ApexBrainCenters.com/memory.

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