Exercise Is Good For The Mind And Body

We all know it.  We all think about it.  Yet, we as a collective people don't get enough exercise in.  It continues to show up through health issues like diabetes, high blood pressure and other things.  While the solution might seem simple, often we get too busy or we lose our motivation to exercise.  So, Corey The Orange cat is back to remind us that exercise is good for the mind and body.  It is one of the best things we can do for ourselves. 

Other #MindBodyThoughts

Moderation For The Mind Body

How many times do we just over-indulge?  If you say you don't, then I'll send you a nice, freshly baked chocolate chip cookie.  Oh wait, that might not be the healthiest thing.  *smile*   Unfortunately as much as we think we do life in moderation, evidence suggests the complete opposite is true.

Moderation for the mind body is essential to our health and well-being.  It helps us run efficiently in our day.  It keeps our body operating for the long-term. Moderation helps us balance the psychological and biological stresses of the day with peace, joy, and contentment.

So, let's ask the question again.  How many times do we just over-indulge in life?

It could be with the candy and cookies that someone at work puts out.  Maybe its the extra portion of food at the restaurant or the super-sizing of those fries and drink.  Heck, it could just be that instead of really needing to tack on the extra "value size meal", we instead say no to all the stuff we don't need.

Buying the smaller size...

Maybe we're just going for a soda (or soft drink) and instead of buying the smaller one, the large bottle is a good deal.  We don't think anything of it, and we tell ourselves that we are saving money, while in reality, we just don't really need to drink that much.

Maybe we're sitting at the restaurant and instead of showing some restraint, we go for that extra food serving.  After all, we're eating out and so that's a special thing.  We can do it just this once, we tell ourselves.  Unfortunately that "ONCE" quickly and easily becomes a habit.

Maybe instead of that super extra large sugar flavored coffee, you go with the small size.  Maybe instead of the coffee or supersized soft drink, you grab a glass of water first.  These little changes can help you change your life in some dramatic ways.

Exercise and physical activity...

Another way we might indulge stress in our life is forgetting to spend time exercising.  If exercising sounds like a dirty word to you, get some activity in your day.  It doesn't have to be extreme.  Maybe a walk at lunch for 15 minutes or one when you get home could be a big boost in your day.  Maybe take the steps back up to your office, rather than the elevator.  Its the little things that add up.  You could even park a little ways out in the store parking lot and get some extra steps in.

There are things that we just don't do for the mind and body and so we indulge behavior that is not helpful.  Regular massages, vacations, relaxation and times to just stop in our life, help us from indulging in poor behavior that will only lead to health issues.

Sometimes moderation for the Mind and Body can be just what the doctor ordered.  Sometimes, its that few bites of food, or the discovering the importance of daily activity that make the difference.  We are a sedentary society and it is showing in health conditions from heart disease to diabetes.

There are so many things that we can do to bring balance and moderation to the mind body that cost very little and are not hard to do.  I can only write and encourage you to do like I'm doing.  I'm working to find moderation in the things I consume and increasing my own daily activity with walks at the park. 

Don't wait until your doctor says that your blood results require immediate action.  Don't wait until your doctor is writing out a prescription to help "mask" the failure to find moderation in your mind and body.

Simply changing things in your daily activity, portion control and beginning to be mindful of what you take into your body can bring life changing improvements.  We only have on body, so lets see if we can find a way to take care of it.  The more we take care of it, the more it will be there for us.

Let's work at finding balance in a crazy world.

#Healthy

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Movement Does A Body Good

We all know this.  It isn't anything new, is it?  Yet, it seems like we all forget about it.  We go through life, sitting on our backsides far too much.  Whether its at the office all day long, or at home in front of the TV and the computer, we are far too sedentary.

Movement does a body good, but in order to do that, you've got to get yourself moving.  You need activity.  Exercise is often considered a negative word and people don't do it, but if you just take a 15 minute walk every day or twice a day, it could really change your life.

I know, I'm just as guilty as the next person.  I either get to busy and forget to do it or I just don't make time to move and get active.  So, while I'm writing this to the "collective blogosphere", I'm really writing this to myself.

Yet, I'm not going to let you off the hook that easily.

We as a society are far too sedentary and it is affecting the health of our country.  If you really want to do something for your health, get moving.  Studies show that you'll help ease chronic pain, diabetes, obesity and weight issues plus overall, you'll just feel better.  Movement does a body good!

You don't have to make it elaborate!  Just get moving your body.  Get out there and find whatever it is that you like to do, and do it.  It could be a 15 minute walk in the morning or at night.  Maybe even taking 15 minutes and going for a walk at lunch could do so much for your mind and body that you would improve your health and well being drastically.

If you're like most, you probably say, but I'm too busy.  I don't doubt that, but if you keep running your car without an oil change, what will most likely happen?  You'll have a major repair.  The same goes for the body.  If you keep pushing it without taking care of it, sooner or later you'll be sitting in the doctor's office with some major health condition.

Find a time, any time of the day that works and make your activity simple.  We all have a few minutes at some point in the day.  Take five minutes every hour and walk up and down several flights of stairs in your office building.  Take 15 minutes at lunch and walk around your office building or workplace.  It can be that easy and it can make a big difference.

I'm personally going to start trying to walk 15 minutes a day in the evening.  It will help me clear my mind and sort of draw my day to an end.  It will give me some activity that may very likely prevent some major health conditions showing up.  Statistics show that if we don't get activity (or exercise) in frequently, we're just setting ourselves up for major medical costs.

So, will you join with me and start doing some activity each day?  Go ahead and leave a comment below and together we can have a great impact on our health.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Neuroscience In The News On April 11

These are articles that I found of interest relating to news about Neuroscience.  In this issue, I have highlighted articles about the more than one road to fear in the brain, exercise slows down mental health decline, and using stem cells for spinal regrowth.

Please check out the article links below and feel free to comment with other information related to these subjects.  I enjoy learning as much as I can about the brain and passing this information on to everyone else that shares these passions.

This is for the week beginning April 11, 2016.

Please come back each week and hopefully I will have some more highlights.  Feel free to share with me ones that you have found and I may highlight those as well.

Feel free to check out the highlighted articles from April 4, 2016

More Than One Road To Fear In The Brain

The results of that experiment, described in the March 23 Journal of Neuroscience, add to evidence that the amygdalae, small, almond-shaped brain structures tucked deep in the brain, aren’t the only bits of the brain that make a person feel afraid. “Overall, this suggests multiple different routes in the brain to a common endpoint of the experience of fear,” says cognitive neuroscientist Stephan Hamann of Emory University in Atlanta.

Article Link:

• Brain Holds More Than One Road To Fear
• Stephan Hamann, Emory University

Exercise Slows Mental Health Decline

In this study, 876 people at an average age of 71 who were a part of the Northern Manhattan Study, a group of people considered for stroke and for the potential to have a stroke, were asked how long and how often they exercised in the two weeks before their in-person interview.

Among the participants, 90 percent reported light exercises, such as walking and gardening, or no exercise at all. Those people were placed in the low activity group. The remaining 10 percent reported moderate to high-intensity exercises, such as running and aerobics, and were put in the high activity group.

Article Link:

• Exercise might slow rate of mental decline by 10 years for older people
• Study Details posted on Neurology.org
• Dr. Clinton Wright, Associate Professor of Neurology, University Of Miami

Stem Cell Therapy Enables Spinal Regrowth

Researchers at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, with colleagues in Japan and Wisconsin, collaborated to investigate the feasibility of using corticospinal neurons for this purpose.

Dr. Tuszynski says that this was the first time for the team to use neural stem cells to find out whether they would support regeneration, where other cell types had not.

He had been skeptical that therapies could be developed to improve function in humans, but the possibility of regenerating "the most important motor system for humans," now looks more likely. 

Article Link:

• Stem Cell Therapy Enables Spinal Regrowth
• Source:  Medical News Today.com
• Senior Study Author, Dr. Mark Tuszynski, UC-San Diego

Getting More Out Of Your Workout

I know we all go to the gym or fitness center for different reasons.  One thing I normally see though as I watch people workout, is just how disconnected they are to the task they are doing in the moment.  You can see it in their attention or whatever else they are doing.  You can also see it in observing how quick and fast they go through one exercise.

For me, I'm very aware of movement and I feel each individual muscle fiber as I go through a workout exercise.  Sometimes, as I am working on a certain machine, I isolate and feel individual parts or muscles in my mind.  While I'm sure there are others that can do this at the gym, what makes a big difference is how I focus on it.

Clutter In Our Life, Part 9

Clutter #9 - Exercise Is For Another Day
Part 9 of 10

Many of us sit at a computer all day long and often all night long. If not, we are perched behind a TV for hours on end at night. There is very little time for us to go out for a walk, engage all muscle groups of our body or really get that heart pumping.

We often feel too tired at the end of the day or the responsibilities of life take us under before we can even begin to think about exercise. However, what if we took the family for a 15 minute walk. This way we could spend time with them, exercise and just push the reset button for the day.

What if we set a goal of exercise for the family that would work in the schedule of our week. Any exercise is better than no exercise. What if we shut the TV down and found a way to get that blood pumping? Just think of how that might change our life.

Often exercise is invigorating to the body and when it is done, it gives you more energy and stamina for your day. It helps you sleep and helps many systems of the body function in a more healthy way.

Much of it though has to do with how important we view exercise to our day and week. Again, if we just try to see how busy we can keep our self, than we are only continuing to withdraw from a negative balance in our body each and ever day.

Come back tomorrow for part 10 of this series, Clutter In Our Life. Below are the various parts to this series that you can read as well.

Clutter In Our Life Series
- Introduction
Part 1: Spending our hours watching TV news
Part 2: Keeping Ourselves Constantly Busy
Part 3: Numbing Ourselves
Part 4: Following Blindly
Part 5: Food Choices
Part 6: Health care, Doctors, and Medicine
Part 7: Hydrating Our Bodies
Part 8: Thinking We Have The Answers
Part 9: Exercise Is For Another Day
Part 10: We Fail To Evolve
- The 30 Day Challenge


Blog Post & Images (c) 3/20/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Meditative Journaling

Here's a simple exercise for journaling along with your meditation time. If you feel you can not journal, this might be a good way to try something different. Sometimes recording what we feel and experience helps us connect with what we are seeking or trying to understand or just needing to connect with. This is a very simple exercise and you can adapt it to your meditation time or a moment of silent in your day. Let it work for you and be something that fits into your life.

Find a quiet place where you can be alone. Outside in nature is nice but even in a quiet room where you won't be disturbed is good. When you find that place, spend a couple of moments just centering yourself on your breath and feeling your body support and balance you as you sit there.

When you're ready, grab a piece of paper (on a clipboard or in a notebook can work great). Then begin to list every single word that comes to your mind, one right after another. No matter how silly or unimportant the word may seem, make a list of these words. How many you record is up to you.

Next, after you have listed the words - try writing a short sentence that comes to mind about the word. Why did it come into your mind? What were you thinking about? What prompted you to write it down. Let that sentence flow as you give life and meaning to the word.

When you are done writing your sentences, take a moment to read back through them and then just sit with what you have written. More than likely, you're going to see a pattern emerge and all of these words together will tell a story of what you need to hear in that moment. It is like an opening in to finding that which you want to connect to. Of course, you may realize that all the time, these things were just part of you. This was but a simple exercise to help you connect with them.

And now if you are one of the people who say writing is difficult and you struggle to journal or sit in meditation - well guess what - you've just done all those things!

*For more articles, check out the Mind Body Thoughts Blog