Brain Health
Healthy aging depends on a healthy brain and nervous system. Fortunately, our nervous system is adaptive and capable of change across the lifespan. This month, we explore articles outlining the key strategies that older adults can use to keep their brain and nervous system working well for the rest of their life.
Let’s check it out!
1. Neuroplasticity in Response to Cognitive Training 🧠
Mammalian brains were once believed to be static (i.e. you are the way that you are). But thanks to an abundance of recent neuroscience research, we now know that the brain is constantly reorganizing itself through a process called neuroplasticity!
Although some neural deterioration is expected with age, the brain has the capacity to increase neural activity and develop neural scaffolding to regulate cognitive function.
Essentially, neuroplasticity is a sign of hope – hope that we are capable of learning (& unlearning) at any age! Our minds and bodies crave new input all the time, therefore seeking out new stimuli can be beneficial to our overall health.
2. External Focus of Attention to Improve Exercise Performance 🧠
During exercise, our brains may rely on a variety of cues that guide our bodies toward specific movement patterns. These can be live, verbal cues from coaches, personal trainers, or physical therapists, or instructional cues from written exercise instructions. What we ultimately focus on during movement-related tasks, something referred to as attentional focus, can be either internal or external.
An internal focus guides our attention inside the body (towards the specific body parts moving.)
An external focus guides our attention outside the body, (towards the effects of a movement or towards a reference point in our environment.)
A systematic review found that the use of an external focus is superior to internal focus when considering tests of motor performance and learning. This is true regardless of age, health, or skill level!
So, why not bring your best exercises to life using external cues? The mind plays a powerful role in performance output while exercising, and choosing external cues while in motion can make a big difference.
3. Exercise for Mood and Cognitive Functioning 🧠
Have you noticed a short walk around the block feels quite refreshing? Your blood is pumping, your mind feels clearer, and it might soften your outlook for the day. These are not placebo effects of escaping your home or your workplace – turns out that even short bouts of exercise have several beneficial effects for your brain and your body!
Some distinct benefits of these short bouts of exercise include:
Improved executive brain function, including:
Attention and working memory
Problem-solving and cognitive flexibility
Verbal fluency and decision making
Enhanced mood state to decrease negativity while increasing positive affect.
Decreased stress levels, with improvements to both psychological and physiological responses to acute stress.
Remember: Your best movement is your next movement. So keep up the good work and keep on moving!
4. Long-Term Links Between Physical Activity and Sleep Quality 🧠
How does exercise correlate with sleep? According to a recent study, the relationship between physical activity and sleep is bidirectional. This means that by improving one, you'll improve the other, and vice versa.
Importantly, they found that this bidirectional relationship happens indirectly through emotional regulation.
Emotional regulation is the ability to exert control over one's own emotional state. It may involve behaviors such as rethinking a challenging situation to reduce fear and anxiety, as well as focusing on reasons to feel happy or calm.
Essentially, better sleep predicted better emotion regulation over time, which in turn predicted more frequent and effective physical activity over time!
Need a few tips to improve your sleep hygiene? Try the following:
Consistency is key: Regular sleep schedules (going to sleep and waking up around the same time from day-to-day) allow the body to train our circadian cycles.
Establish routines: Practice “wind down” routines, such as reading a book before bed instead of scrolling on your phone. Our bodies operate on regular light and emotional stimuli, so it makes sense to prime our bodies for recovery mode.
Move during the day: Get regular exercise more than 4 hours before bedtime so you can enter deep, restful sleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.
Final thoughts 💭
Our brains and nervous systems are undergoing continuous change through a process known as neuroplasticity. We have the ability to guide this change towards improved health by moving well (exercise & physical activity), sleeping well, and committing to lifelong learning and practice.
Curious to learn more about brain and body health? Check out the AgeProof Your Body membership for comprehensive exercise programming made specifically for older adults hoping to improve their health and independence.
Are you in need of any physical therapy before you get started? Check out MovementX for concierge PT services delivered right to your doorstep!
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