Move to Think and Think to Move

It is a common misconception that bears hibernate during the winter. While bears tend to slow down during the winter, they are not true hibernators.  It’s this “Grizzly Bear” behavior that some of us humans have in common; we slow down durning the winter months.  Where it might serve the Grizzly, it’s not something we humans can afford to emulate if we want to maintain good cognitive function.

Stanley Colcombe and Arthur F. Kramer, Beckman Institue and Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana, conducted a study to examine the hypothosis that arobic fitness training enhances the cognitive vitality of healthy but sedentary older adults.  The conclusion after eighteen intervention studies between 1966 and 2001 proved fitness training — exercise— was found to have great benefits for cognition.

The take away is this…we must keep moving.  We are witnessing more and more issues surrounding memory as seen in the raising numbers of dementia and Alzhiemer’s diagnosis.  Movement makes a difference.  This is not new news, however, there still remains a pull to hibernation that begins early in fall with the winter months approaching.  The older we get, the easier it is to want to slow down.  Resist the urge!  No matter what age or level of fitness we are living with, we can improve our quality of cognition by any sort of exercise practice.

While summer is transitioning into fall, today is a perfect time to begin the practice of an indoor fitness program that can take you through the winter with a spring in your step. Our minds need us to move to maintain good thinking for a lifetime.

My personal fitness pick is indoor rowing; it’s total-body exercise and easy on the joints!  Ageless exercise.

Ramona Hunt, M.S.                                                                                                                                           Director of Leadership and Development                                                                                           Touching Hearts, Inc.