“The moment we pay attention to our movement, the brain resumes growing at a very rapid rate.” – Dr. Anat Baniel
I came across this quote in a book I read the other day and had to share it.
Can I talk about being smart for a second without sounding like an arrogant prick? Let’s see…
(Well, sometimes I’m too smart for my own good which gets me into trouble but that’s a topic for another day.)
And yes, I’ll show you why this matters for YOU.
I seemed to be naturally intelligent. I grew up as a smart kid. School came easy for me, yada, yada, yada.
Book smart…but definitely not physically intelligent. I was not athletic at all.
Nowadays, I’m both. I thrive off of learning, both physically and mentally. AND I truly believe these are related. That the former does translate to the latter.
Paying attention to your movement is not how many people workout.
Most people’s workouts are going through the motions. How long ‘til I can stop running? In fact, many people actively try to tune out of their workouts listening to podcasts, watching TV or otherwise.
There’s a time and place for toughness, which can involve “checking out” in order to keep going, but if this is all of your training, then you’re short-changing yourself.
There’s an old idea that the brain stops growing. This is proven wrong but many people are still clinging onto it.
The fact is one of the best ways to support brain health is through movement. Not just any movement, but movement where you pay attention.
Kettlebell juggling requires paying attention.
Intuitive mobility requires paying attention.
Good quality visualization of movement requires paying attention.
Hand balancing requires paying attention.
Feats of strength require paying attention.
Any new movement pattern requires paying attention.
If paying attention helps support our brain, what if we pay attention to lots of varied movement?
I think the brain growth that occurs doesn’t just help in the gym, but far outside of it too.
So the next time you train, I urge you to pay more attention to your movement.
And the best way to do that may be something new. Check out my many courses still on Quarantine Sale, available here.