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ACTIVITY: UNLOCK YOUR RESERVOIR OF VITALITY
ACTIVITY:
UNLOCK YOUR RESERVOIR OF VITALITY
Strength Training the Gray Matter
Activity brings to mind physical exertion, but before we learn about the importance of physical activity, we will learn about the importance of brain activity. It is also important to be careful regarding how we exercise it, too. When choosing activities for your brain, be careful to avoid those that require activity with no real meaningful application or usefulness.
Activities that increase brain fitness will include information and/or exercises that improve your performance in other meaningful endeavors. Some examples might include things such as reading a book that interests you or challenges you and has substantive, edifying information. Books such as the classics or the Bible are excellent choices. Other activities that exercise your brain include memorizing poems or Bible verses, doing jigsaw puzzles, learning a new language, increasing your vocabulary, and practicing a task with your nondominant hand.
Brain Food
In general, the lower the glycemic index, the better a food is for our bodies and brains. That is, the energy comes into our blood slowly, over time, rather than rushing in like a tidal wave. That’s much easier for our bodies to handle and healthier, too. While you
can find lists of foods with their glycemic index, there is a basic principle that makes it easier to make good choices: “The closer we get our food to the way CREATOR made it, the better.” Whole foods tend to be higher in fiber and lower in sugar. Even if they taste sweet they don’t raise the blood sugar as fast as foods that have been processed and refined.
Terrill Bravender, professor of pediatrics at Duke University, explains that foods that are low on the scale, such as whole grains, are preferable when it comes to sustained brain power. In a scientific study done in 2006 looking at students who ate sweetened oatmeal compared with those who ate high sugar cereal, the oatmeal eaters performed 20% better in school. It’s important to note that both cereals had the same sugar content. But the oatmeal had more fiber and protein, giving it a lower glycemic index.
Today, more than ever, options like instant oatmeal and 100% whole-grain bagels provide a quick and convenient breakfast. So choose a “healthier brain” for yourself by simply beginning the day with a healthy breakfast, preferably one with a low glycemic index. A good breakfast is important before you begin your physical activities for the day.
Physical Activity = Improved Brain Function
Doing physical activity helps the brain function better in part by increasing blood flow, enabling the delivery of its requisite oxygen. A research study showed that elderly people who are in good physical condition scored higher on fluid intelligent tests, experienced faster response times, improved mental performance and short term memory, and had an overall improvement of cognitive functioning. Another study showed that school-age children who participate daily in physical activity actually did better on language, reading, and a basic battery of tests. Countless studies demonstrate the close relationship between physical fitness and mental health. When you exercise your body you are not just helping your heart, lungs, and so forth, you are helping your brain also.
Exercise for Life
Physical activity promotes cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, endurance, and muscular flexibility, as well as good body composition. The benefits of regular physical activity include improved quality of life and greater longevity. In their recommendations
~ Greg Anderson
on physical activity, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine state that the benefits of physical activity include a number of factors that lowered the risk of coronary heart disease: improved blood lipid profiles, better resting blood pressure in borderline hypertensives, improved body composition, better glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, better bone density, immune function, and psychological function. low levels of activity and fitness are associated with markedly increased allcause mortality rates. It is estimated that of 250,000 deaths per year in the United States, approximately 12% of the total are attributed to a lack of regular physical activity. Dr. Paffenbarger conducted a large study of sixteen thousand Harvard alumni. His research showed that for every hour spent exercising, subjects could add four or more hours to their life. The additional hours of life are especially appealing because it’s not just the added hours that you experience but also a higher quality of life. Physical activity is certainly a good investment, at least when it comes to time and health.
Moderation In All Things
First, let’s look at the significance of the word moderate. One of the most exciting discoveries is that scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that regular, moderate-intensity physical activity provides substantial health benefits. We don’t all need to be marathon runners! Adults can expect many health benefits from moderate-intensity activity that expends approximately two hundred calories per day. For most healthy adults a moderate level of exercise would be the equivalent of a brisk walk at 3 to 4 mph. That is about fifteen to twenty minutes per mile. To meet the standard of expending approximately two hundred calories, one would walk at that speed for about two miles. Other exercises could work as well.
Moderation in exercise is an appealing concept, as it does not require vigorous exercise. An Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study reinforced this point by demonstrating that changing activity patterns from “no exercise” to “moderate and regular exercise” provides a greater improvement in health than the change from “moderate” to “high exercise.” It is good news that any regular exercise will be beneficial!
A simple way to gauge whether or not an individual is getting benefits from exercise is to utilize the talk/sing test. This is done by paying attention to breathing patterns
~ Aristotle
during exercise. A good measure of appropriate exercise level is the sensation of being a little winded while carrying on a conversation. It should not be to the point of gasping for breath or necessitate stopping or postponing conversation. This would indicate a level of exercise too high to allow your heart, lungs, and muscles to sustain the effort, and would fall short of maximum benefit. But if a person can sing a song, then there would be benefit to “stepping up the pace.” For maximum benefit, a person need only be mildly winded; that’s the level of exercise where the most health benefits are acquired.
Go for Vigorous Physical Activity
Moderate aerobic physical activity definitely has many substantial health benefits. Vigorous, intense physical activity can provide added benefits. After
an individual has become used to regular moderate exercise for several weeks, the intensity may be increased for a more vigorous workout. Those over age 40 who have a heart condition or other serious health problems should get permission from a physician before increasing the intensity to vigorous.
Vigorous, intense activity is exemplified by jogging and causes rapid breathing and a substantial increase in heart rate. When doing intense physical activity, a person feels winded.
Interval Training
Continuous aerobic activity is an important component to an exercise program that is focused on the development and maintenance of fitness. However, another way to gain additional benefit is to use interval training techniques. Interval training is a type of physical activity that consists of timed intervals of different intensities done in the same activity session. It involves periods of high intensity activity alternated with those of lower intensity or even rest. The intervals can be done at a lower moderate intensity pace. Interval training offers great benefits and can help make physical activity more interesting, enjoyable, and efficient.
It is important to take care when doing intense physical activity such as intervals. Be sure to increase your intensity gradually, pay close attention to how you are feeling, and do not overdo it. This will help you avoid injury. Many athletes incorporate interval training into their physical activity to gain a competitive edge. Remember, in order to gain benefits from interval training it does not have to be an “all out” effort. The great news is everyone can get impressive benefits from incorporating intervals into their regular physical activity.
A Healthy Mix of Rest and Motion
There is yet another type of training that uses intervals of activity and rest. It is called intermittent training, or simply IT. This is a noncontinuous technique of physical activity that incorporates moderate aerobic or anaerobic intervals of physical activity with active rest periods. An example of this would be spacing regular walking between intervals of running or jogging. This type of activity incorporates rest into the exercise routine! The activity and rest periods may be as short as thirty seconds or as long as six minutes.
Intermittent training offers many benefits. Researchers have found that this technique of physical activity affords equivalent aerobic benefits to continuous aerobic exercise with the added benefits of greater weight and body fat loss. Investigators measured the effects of continuous and IT training on aerobic capacity, body composition, and blood lactate response in sedentary college-aged females. After an eight-week training program, both the continuous training and IT groups had significant reductions in body weight and fat percentage, increased time to fatigue, and increased aerobic capacity. However, the IT group had significantly lower blood lactate responses for each stage of their max exercise test.
Intermittent training is appealing because it offers rest as a part of the exercise. You get exercise credit for the resting time, too. It is a great way for someone to begin exercise who has been inactive. It is not as intimidating. The fact that IT brings faster improvements in fitness and faster weight loss makes it the best choice for many people. Additional benefits include a positive influence on attitude toward physical activity along with requiring less time and effort, thus building confidence. All of this makes IT training very appealing!
More Activity Gives You More Benefits
If you wish to further improve your personal fitness, reduce your risk for chronic diseases and disabilities, or prevent unhealthy weight gain, you will likely benefit by exceeding the minimum recommended amount of physical activity. In the past few years several largescale prospective observational studies, involving tens of thousands of people, have clearly documented lower levels of risk of cardiovascular disease and premature mortality with greater amounts of physical activity. These studies included both men and women and ethnically diverse populations. These include well known and often quoted studies such as the College Alumni Health study, the
“Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional, and mental
states.” ~ Carol Welch
Health Professionals’ Follow-up Study, the Nurses’ Health Study, the Women’s Initiative, and the Women’s Health Study.
Stay Active!
Activity is a powerful way to grow, feel great, keep healthy, and thrive! Take time today to grow your brain by doing positive activity and eating healthy food. Then participate in regular physical activity to provide the nourishment and oxygen your body needs. Your participation in regular physical activity will give you great rewards, such as a healthier life full of energy and vitality. You can gain the best results from your physical activity by incorporating moderate and vigorous activity with interval and intermittent physical activity. And don’t forget how rest and the accumulation of activity can benefit you, too. Also, regularly including strength training helps keep your “dominos” and you standing and moving strong. Last of all, remember that choosing to go above the minimum recommendations will richly repay you.
Adapted from CREATION Life (AdventHealth Press, 2014). Used with permission.
