The human brain is a surprising organ. It doesn’t matter if you are awake or asleep, dreaming. Learning from past experience or planning for the future, enjoying or suffering, everything happens in our heads first.
But nearly half the population of industrial nations believe that their memories are deteriorating. How do you feel about this issue? Do you still remember what you did last Monday? Do you remember what you ate for lunch last Sunday? Do you remember all the birthdates of everyone in your family?
If you can improve your memory, thinking ability as well as your faculties of perception and your communication skills, how much is that worth to you?
Did you know that your brain consists of about 100 thousand million nerve cells, and that literally hundreds of thousands of electrical impulses are racing back and forth between them every millisecond? More importantly, did you know that there is absolutely no reason why your mental “fitness” should diminish as you grow older, as everyone else assumes? In recent years, the fields of biology, medicine and psychology have produced an outpouring of new research on the brain. Scientists have found a direct correlation between a healthy, fit body and an alert brain. The increased oxygen intake and blood flow has many benefits to the cells in our brain.
In fact studies in Finland shows that adults over the age of 50 who walk an average of 2 miles everyday or at least 10 miles per week perform 50% better in memory tests than those who did not exercise. Brain scans of volunteers show increased blood flow to areas of the brain that directly impacts short term and long term memory. Further tests on cognitive skills of elderly volunteers also show marked improvement. Psychologist also surmised that individuals who exercise also suffer far less from depression and generally have a healthy outlook in the life, besides improved brain function and great memory. They generally smile more and have healthier social habits like starting a conversation with strangers or forming better friendships.. Scientists conclude that sustained and moderate walking is indeed a elixir of life, good for the body and good for the brain.
More surprisingly, the same principle of fitness applies for your brain as for your body; if you don’t use your brain, it’s going to get rusty. So do use it often and challenge it every single day of your life. Your brain and your memory will surely remain in good shape and peak condition if you keep it productive.
