Exercise Your Brain

Exercise the second largest part of your brain – the cerebellum. Cerebellum translates to “little brain” and it sits on top of the brain stem. Along with the basil ganglia, it coordinates movement and balance. It is playing a critical role when you lift a fork to your mouth, play a musical instrument, type on your keyboard, throw a ball or balance on your tiptoes to reach that high shelf. From what we know about brain processes, the cerebellum assists us in learning new motor movements and maintaining our skills in motor movements. Very likely, it is the cerebellum that records the fine motor movements for playing the piano; given sufficient practice, the cerebellum “remembers” those fine motor movements so that the musician plays smoothly and gracefully. What has been called “muscle memory” is more likely “cerebellular memory.”

BRAINS THRIVE ON EXERCISE

Exercise your cerebellum daily by standing on one foot with the other leg bent at the knee and the sole of your foot to the rear. Then stand on the alternate foot in the same way. Do this about three times a day, extending the time that you can stand on one foot up to 60 seconds. But don’t stop there; stand on one foot and extend the other foot outward so that the heel is pointing down to the floor. Finally, stand on one foot and extend the other leg out to the side. But wait! There is one more variation. Do each of these exercises with eyes open and with eyes closed. These brain exercises improve your balance.

BRAIN TRAINING AND OLDER ADULTS

The beneffits of physical exercise are well known. Recent research is showing how physical exercise benefits not only our bodies, but our brains. A new study also suggests that cognitive training (memory improvement, visual spatial skills, searching, etc.) improves the everyday functioning of older adults.

(Source: Willis, SL, et al., Long-term effects of cognitive training on everyday functional outcomes in older adults, JAMA, December 20, 2006).

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