Your Sexiest Body Part

This isn’t something I thought much about when I was younger but as I age, I’m as concerned about my ability to do daily activities as I am about my ability to still make good decisions, or the strength of my brain. In recent years there has been compelling research around commonly held myths around brain health. For instance, Dr. Kathryn Papp, neuropsychologist and instructor in neurology at Harvard Medical School stated that "Until the mid-1990s, we thought that people were born with however many brain cells they would die with. We now know that the growth of new cells—a process called neurogenesis—occurs throughout life, even in older age," she explains. ‘Even in older age’, now isn’t that great news!

It turns out that the human brain has a great potential for something called neuronal plasticity—that is, it's malleable. It appears that challenging our brains—for example, by learning a new skill—leads to actual changes in the adult brain. "It may create new connections between brain cells by changing the balance of available neurotransmitters and changing how connections are made," says Dr. Papp.

Neurogenesis is also associated with maintaining a healthy lifestyle, especially getting enough sleep each night, keeping stress levels low, avoiding overeating, and the central pillar of them all: regular exercising. "Researchers have found that physical exercise leads to release of cellular growth factors that are important for neurogenesis," says Dr. Papp. And when you can, you’ll get an increase the benefits from neurogenisis when you try new physical activities.

Be prepared, though, when you try new motor activities that you might feel quite self-conscious trying a new physical activity, especially if you don’t have a lot of experience with sports. This is completely normal. Here are a few pointers to help with new motor learning:

• As a beginner, know that it will take time to learn a new skill.

  • Some think good motor skills and athletic ability are something people are born with. This is not true! Motor skills are more closely related to practice and experience than to natural ability alone.

• Learn new skills slowly and clearly

  • Work with someone who will ‘tell, show, do’.

    • ‘Tell’ - This means the trainer you are learning from should start by explaining what your are going to do and why. This should include safety information, along with guidelines for injury prevention.

    • ‘Show’ - Your personal trainer should demonstrate the skill accurately and allow you time to watch. (Often, tell and show are combined)

    • ‘Do’ - give the new skill a try. Remember, you’ll likely learn more quickly when you focus on performing without trying to talk or listening to chatter. A personal trainer will look for ways to provide reinforcement for what was done well, correct errors and hopefully motivate you to continue to practice and improve.

So, each and every time you learn a new physical activity, you’re not just building the muscles which are being challenged, you’ll also be building your brain. Wow - if learning new physical activities are going to boost my brainpower, especially as I get older, I don’t know about you but I’m all in! After all, what’s the downside? Even if physical exercise doesn’t boost my brainpower but I’m physically able to do all the activities of an active healthy lifestyle - terrific, sign me up!