Our big fancy brains took us from all fours to walking on two legs to hunting, to farming, to sitting on our asses all day looking at screens…eliminating the very thing that caused our brains to become as advanced as they are.
It must be tiresome to not be defiantly resistant to regular physical activity. It requires a determined resistance to science and common sense. (But with belief in a flat Earth and astrology inexplicably making a comeback, any form of foolishness can apparently find some people to take it seriously now.)
Every other health story is about the myriad ways physical activity benefits body and mind. Specifically, for brain health, it is one of the best things you can do to help prevent Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
Funtensity is all about doing the specific types of exercise that are best for brain health, but there are a lot of benefits to be gained by just doing anything except nothing.
Yes, that means even just general physical activity (i.e., not challenging enough to be classified as exercise) has brain health benefits.
“Every little bit helps. Sedentary time is bad. Whatever physical activity you can do, you should do. There seems to be no limit for the brain.”
Sudha Seshadri, MD, director of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases.
There seems to be no limit for the brain…just do as much or little as you want to. When it comes to brain health you cannot overtrain.
“We know from a number of studies that regular physical activity may be one of the most important things you can do to promote brain health. And yet, I am still surprised by how deeply ingrained sedentary behavior is in many of my patients’ lives.” “When I encourage them to start walking or to try yoga or a senior aerobics class, many roll their eyes.”
Marwan Sabbagh, MD, director of Cleveland Clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.
Keep rolling your eyes at this advice and you may find yourself rolling in a wheelchair one day.
It is mystifying how life and society propels us to ever more hours sitting and moving less despite the irrefutable mountain of evidence (not to mention the irrefutable mountain of common sense) which tells us it is unwise to do so. It’s not even about “exercise.” Movement of any kind makes us healthier.
We have outsmarted ourselves at our peril. We got up from all fours to walk on two legs and that took a big adaptation from our brain. Then we started hunting (we were already gathering) and that took our brains another big leap forward in development. Then, we figured out farming instead of foraging which was another big leap in brain development and problem solving. Now we are so smart we have figured out how to rid daily life of movement, when movement is the very thing that caused our brains to become as advanced as they are.
Movement is your Thrill Pill – take it and thrive.