The brain seems to be as much of a beneficiary of exercise as is the body. In his great book, Spark, the author, Psychologist John Ratey says:.
“Exercise is as effective as Zoloft for Depression”.
Others have suggested that not exercising is like “taking a depressant”.
Modern neuroscience is bearing out what others have said for years about the power of exercise and its benefits for the mind. They are discovering that we are literally “wired for movement” and that sitting on the couch looking at a screen is one of the worst things we can do for our bodies, our minds, and our well-being.
Almost everyone has heard of the “Flow State”. That’s where body and mind are one, time is distorted or disappears, concentration is focused, and the mind and body are in optimal states. It has been variously described as “optimal experience”, “runner’s high”, and includes full concentration and focus on a task or activity that is so intense that nothing else can gain attention other that what you are doing.
In his book, Flow, author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced: Chick-sent-me-hi) describes it as an “activity that produces such experiences is so gratifying that people are willing to do it for its own sake, with little concern for what they will get out of it, even when it is difficult, or dangerous.
Author Mihaly C writes: “When we are unhappy, depressed, or bored we have an easy remedy at hand: to use the body for all it is worth.” He goes on to say that while most people nowadays are aware of the importance of health and physical fitness . . . “most of us ignore it and use their physical equipment as little as possible, leaving its ability to provide flow unexploited”.
Neuroscientists are confirming what we have long accepted as true, that exercise has a powerful effect on the mind, both from the experience of the state of “flow”, to the general feeling of physical and mental well being that exercise provides. We all know that exercise stimulates the mind. Most of us just don’t do it.
“Physical Fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.” — John F. Kennedy
Physical exercises such as crawling, cross body movements and even the stimulation of a brisk walk have been demonstrated to provide valuable mental benefits as well as physical.
In upcoming articles, I will explore some of the many benefits of physical exercise on the mind and how it affects us far beyond what we see above the surface. Let the phrase: “The tip of the iceberg” play in your mind for a while. In the coming weeks, we will explore mental and physical aspects of our minds and bodies that are in the 95% of our “being” that lies beneath the surface. Stay with me.
Thank you for reading.