Keeping Your Brain Young
Learning new skills is essential for our brain health. We are literally changing the neural plasticity of our brains by creating new connections between our neurons. These are the types of changes that keep our brains young and healthy.
While we’re growing up, everything is new and interesting so we’re always learning and it’s fun to do so. As we age, many people get into routines that involve very little, to no learning. Our brains are a muscle and like any other muscle, if we don’t “work it”, it begins to atrophy slowly but surely.
This year I finally learned how to play pickleball and am now officially addicted. While thinking about why this sport has become such an obsession for people of all ages and here's what I've come up with (so far):
It's a super easy way to be in the present moment - a sort of moving meditation - if you're not present you can't play well or keep track of the score.
It's a really fun game that's pretty easy to learn, especially if you’ve ever played any other racket or paddle game in the past
You’re improving your hand-eye coordination and reflexes every time you play
You get to play outside and interact with friendly and supportive people.
Another reason new, fun activities are so addicting is because our brains release the "feel-good" hormone dopamine while we are engaged in them. Our brains also learn to work more effectively because our neurons are firing faster when we engage in novel experiences.
When we don't learn new things (and learning can involve ANY new skill - you do not have to go out and play pickleball!) our brains literally slow down. They become less responsive over time and this is when we increase our risk of dementia and alzheimers.
Last Friday's blog post talked about the ways that exercise can help reduce the risks of dementia and while super important, it's not the only thing to consider. I came across this infographic and wanted to share it with you so you have the full picture of what's needed to keep your brain super healthy as you age.
And please remember, you're not going to do everything right all the time, but the more you know (you're learning new things already!) the more proactive you can be in your process of aging better.
Action Steps:
Take a minute to remember one of the last new activities you engaged in. It could be anything at all, e.g., a walk you went somewhere in a new location, a challenge you overcame at work that made you feel good once it was complete, a new hobby you took up, etc.
Remember how you felt while going through the experience of learning / doing something new / accomplishing something challenging.
Now take a minute to think about something new that you might want to consider adding to your life. This can be anything at all, e.g., a new hobby, activity, or just trying out a new experience like taking the walk in a completely new and interesting location.
Keep in mind that the bigger the learning curve involved in your new activity, the more discomfort you are likely to feel initially and the more reward you are going to feel once you succeed.
Have fun with the process and don’t put any pressure or stress on yourself. If you try something new and really don’t love it. let it go and move on to the next area of exploration.
